Our Agency

We are a private-public dialogue agency of the Ministry of International Relations and Trade; our mandate is to institutionalize public and private dialogue in Namibia, we aim to achieve this objectives through our pillars which is market access and trade in goods and services. In collaboration with MIRT and other stakeholders, the NTF will engage traders of various goods and services to ascertain the trade barriers faced at borders and at a regulatory level that hinder their trade with these respective markets.

Namibia is a member of the SACU customs and the SADC regional block and enjoys preferential trade within the AfCFTA and with other trade partners. Our objective is to promote trade and to ensure sustainable and long-term development of the domestic sector to benefit from these trade agreements.

The National Consultation Mechanism is spearheaded by the NTF to facilitate dialogue between the private sector and the government of Namibia. The aim is to source inputs and to inform national position and participate in international trade and investment. The NTF is a consultative body to enhance communication between private and state actors, to ensure that government takes into consideration national interest during trade negotiations. It is also a platform for soliciting views, information, market intelligence and empirical research for policy making. 

It thus serves as the highest public private partnership on international and domestic trade and investment matters of government through workshops, seminars, trade negotiations, meetings media releases etc.

Our Mandate

Our main mandate is to institutionalise public-private dialogue and cooperation with emphasis on international and domestic trade and investment policies as stipulated by the National Development Plan. The role of the NTF is to act as the main consultative body representing the private sector views to the government. It thus serves as the highest public private partnership on international and domestic trade and investment matters of government through workshops, seminars, trade negotiations, meetings media releases etc.
Our mandate covers a broad range of interactive market entry strategies and trade policy reforms through robust engagement with the private sector. Input into policy formulation includes the drafting of policies, trade negotiations, trade agreements, domestic policy and research. In partnership with our strategic stakeholders, we coordinate various projects and initiatives aimed at trade and business development. The aim of our marketing and stakeholder relations is to improve visibility and raise awareness of our activities through various communication and public platforms.
Namibia develops a plethora of domestic and global policies and trade agreements; however, raising awareness and growing the capacity of local businesses to trade under these agreements remains a key challenge. We want to reach more businesses and traders so they can benefit from the great opportunities available. Namibia is also a very arid country and faces the challenge of drought. Namibia requires technical support to overcome food insecurity and to become self-sufficient by implementing resilient food production strategies to maximize local food production. We rely on the earnest support of our international partners with the right resources and research capabilities to find solutions to these deep-cutting environmental challenges.

Aside from input into trade and public-private dialogue (PPD), other areas of technical intervention include:

1. Market Access – Tariff setting, Rules of Origin, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).
2. Trade Measures and Regulations – Safeguard measures, anti-dumping, countervailing measures, infant industry protection, duty drawbacks, and rebates.
3. Revision of Agreements – advice on modifications, explore the opportunities presented by the agreements.
4. Advice on Product and market development in order to accelerate industrialization and economic diversity.

Our Experience

We rely on the definitive expertise of our nuclear and dedicated team to execute NTF mandate. If required, we also solicit the support of external subject matter experts. In addition, NTF work in an ecosystem of diverse trade organizations and multilateral agencies to carry-out strategic development initiates and programs in Namibia. As a small organization, NTF is privileged to receive guidance and leadership of its dynamic board of directors who support and steer to the organization towards greater heights.