Staff Writer
Namibia is using its green industrialisation ambitions to become a premier business events destination, following the successful hosting of several conferences in the country.
Business events are seen as a potential opportunity for Namibian companies to create linkages with international players, while offering the country an opportunity to reap macro-economic benefits.
Speaking at the launch of the Africa Green Industries Summit in Windhoek last week, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, Jessica Hauuanga, said Namibia is an emerging destination for business. She said conferences allow the country to benefit from increased attention and visitors.
“This summit and other international events, such as the Namibia Oil and Gas Conference, the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum, and the Africa Union MSME Summit, that we have hosted on the past few years, have equally demonstrated Namibia’s ability to successfully house high profile, global gatherings, and position Windhoek as an emerging destination for business tourism,” she said.
The Africa Green Industries Summit is a Namibian conference centered around green industrialisation in Africa. Its focus will range from climate change and the environment, agriculture, food security, water infrastructure, electric vehicles and e-mobility infrastructure.
A lucrative industry
In June 2025, Namibia launched a new visa regime targeting meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE). Within 6 months in operation, the MICE regime had generated more than N$1.5 million.
According to the World Tourism Forum, as of 2024/2025, the global MICE market is valued between N$17.7 trillion (USD 907.2 billion) and N$18.2 trillion (USD 1.12 trillion) with projections for 2030 suggesting a robust ascent. The MICE sector has emerged in recent decades as an important vector for national economies with contributions including the occupancy of hotel units in low seasons and the activation of ancillary markets including event management firms, transport providers, catering, translation, security, and creative industries.
In December 2025, Namibia launched the Namibia Convention Bureau. It is currently hosted under the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board and may develop into an independent bureau should the MICE sector mature.
The role of the Namibia Convention Bureau is to serve as an official point of contact for event organisers who are bringing international meetings, incentives, conferences and events to the country. It will coordinate national bidding for international conferences, support event logistics, and administer the MICE Visa programme.
Namibia has previously been the site for the previous two Global African Hydrogen Summit.
These summits were organised by an international exhibition and publishing company, DMG Events. DMG Events is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British firm, Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT).
According to the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, the second edition of the Global African Hydrogen Summit in 2025 attracted over 1,400 delegates from 65 countries to Windhoek.
William Shilamba, Executive Director of Namibia Energy Agency Consulting, said that the localisation of MICE conferences can keep capital flows in the country, instead of promoting capital flight.
“Why should we support the Africa Green Industries Summit or why do we need participation from the nation? Number one, Africa Green Industries Summit is a local event. We are trying to retain capital within the country. As our seniors elaborated, most of the time we do have international companies coming to host these events within our country, but most of the profit also goes with them,” Shilamba said.
The deputy minister of the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy Gaudentia Khrone expressed that foreign hosted conferences had long been a concern from the perspective of capacity building.
“My concern and the concern of many others was, don’t we have the capacity in your media, to do our own work? When are we saying Namibia first? because those events are planned by people from outside, in the world who come and plan their events in the media whilst we have our own products like William who can take us forward,” she said highlighting the local capacity that exists to leverage opportunities in the MICE sector.
Namibia Energy Agency Consulting is the Namibian company organising the Africa Green Industries Summit. The summit anticipates 600 delegates from various African and international countries.
The summit’s official partners include NamPower, NamPort, Neumann & Esser, Gondwana Travel Centre and it is supported by the African Union Development Agency – NEPAD.
In the past, the Global Africa Hydrogen Summits were criticised for poor inclusivity and accessibility for local Namibians.
“We have two distinct pricing, one for international delegates, one for local delegates. We also do not want to encroach on the quality of the event. So the number of local participant participation access will be limited, but not to a limit where we do not have local companies in the room,” said Shilamba.
MICE Ambitions Connected to Green Industrialisation
According to Joseph Mukendwa, interim head of the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme, the hosting of conferences is not merely hosting for hosting’s sake but it is strategically linked to catalysing investment for green industrialisation
“The first and second editions of a similar summit or conference known as the Global Africa Hydrogen Summit, were not just ordinary conferences. They were part of Namibia’s deliberate, economic, and green diplomacy. They were convened to test, validate, and promote Namibia’s green industries potential, not only to local stakeholders, but to Africa, and the whole world at large.”
He further stated that Namibia has been a pioneer in the sector globally.
“The 2025 edition, in particular, demonstrated that this platform has actually matured into a serious continental convening mechanism. It brought together government leaders, developers, investors, technology providers, and end users. And it showcased bankable African green energy projects, not only those that are in Namibia, but across the continent,” Mukendwa said.
Namibia is currently in the progress of developing a Sectoral Transformation Investment Plan as part of its participation in the Climate Investment Fund’s Industrial Decarbonisation Programme. The programme will allow Namibia to access up to N$4.48 billion (US$250 million) in concessional finance to accelerate green industrialization.
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