Namibia buys cigarettes worth N$42.1 million

In March, Namibia imported cigarettes worth N$42.1 million, mainly from South Africa and Switzerland.

This is according to latest trade data by the Namibia Statistics Agency.

“On the other hand, the country re-exported cigarettes at a value of N$0.1 million during the period under study,” says statistician general Alex Shimuafeni.

At the same time, the country imported food to the value of N$361 million and N$183 million for beverages.

During March, the trade balance stood at a deficit of N$2.7 billion.

This is a N$0.7 billion difference when compared to a deficit of N$2 billion recorded in February.

“But it is a significant improvement when compared to the same month of last year which had a trade deficit of N$4.6 billion,” reads the report.

Botswana was the lead export destination and South Africa has remained the source of most of the country’s imports.

The most imported products were petroleum oils, motor vehicles (for commercial purposes), inorganic chemical elements, nickel ores and concentrates, and civil engineering and contractors equipment.

Meanwhile, on the export side, majority of the exported goods were precious stones (diamonds), non-monetary gold, uranium and copper.

“Fish was the only non-mineral product among the top five exported goods,” says Shimuafeni.

Re-exports saw a 3.8% decline on a monthly basis and a 4.1% increase on an annual basis.

Namibia’s export earnings for March stood at N$10.1 billion.

This is a decrease of 0.4% when compared to exports recorded in February 2025.

The country’s import bill was N$12.8 billion.

“Reflecting an increase of 5.2% from N$12.1 billion recorded in the preceding month. The export and import position translates into a worsened trade deficit,” says Shimuafeni.

In total over the last three months, exports were at N$30.9 billion during March 2025, an increase when compared to N$25.9 billion registered over the same period of the previous year.