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Namibia: Govt hunts for new investors for Ramatex

Published date:
Monday, 28 July 2008

Government intends to resuscitate the defunct Ramatex textile factory and the hunt for new investors is on, said Dr Hage Geingob, Minister of Trade and Industry.

“We have had problems and are addressing them. We are hard at work to bring in new investors to start the textile industry again,” Geingob told the Corporate Council on Africa and Namibia Business Forum.

Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is a US-based organisation that is at the forefront of strengthening and facilitating the commercial relationship between the United States and Africa.

CCA members, Maurice Tempelsman of Lazare Kaplan International and the Vice President of CCA, Tim McCoy, are in Namibia for a series of engagements with both the public and private sector.

Established in 1992 the CCA works closely with governments and multilateral groups to improve the trade and investment climate on the African continent. The membership of CCA includes more than 170 US companies doing business in Africa.

Ramatex exported textile and apparel products to the United States through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The factory employed about 3 000 people before its closure early this year. The infrastructure left behind by the Malaysian company has the capacity to produce about 45 000 tonnes of yarn, 36 000 tonnes of fabric and 8 million dozen of garments per annum.

Geingob said Namibia would want to have other products other than textile and garments, included in the AGOA. Namibia exports table grapes and craft products under AGOA and is currently in discussions to have beef included in the export programme.

“We are still negotiating on the beef and are about to make a conclusion,” said Geingob. Namibia also wants the generalised system of preferences status extended beyond September 2008.

The United States government initiated the AGOA trade programme in 2000 as a way of helping African states to shake off poverty through trading with America.

Tempelsman, who is the former chairman of CCA, said the AGOA programme has increased exports of products from Africa to the US and has created job opportunities for both Americans and African economies.



“ Latest AGOA Trade Data currently available on AGOA.info


Click here to view a sector profile of Namibia’s bilateral trade with the United States, disaggregated by total exports and imports, AGOA exports and GSP exports.


Other regularly updated trade statistics on AGOA.info include: (click each link to view)

  • AGOA-Beneficiary Countries’ AGOA and GSP Trade Aggregates

  • AGOA Trade by Industry Sector

  • Apparel Trade under AGOA’s Wearing Apparel Provisions

  • Latest Apparel Quotas under AGOA

  • Bilateral Trade Data for all AGOA-eligible countries individually.

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