Namibia wants to process more of its uranium domestically rather than continuing to rely on exports of uranium concentrate, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said during a visit to China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) in Shenzhen as part of her state visit to China, The Namibian reports.

CGN is one of China’s largest nuclear power groups and the state-owned parent of Hong Kong-listed CGN Power (HKEX:1816), a power producer principally engaged in electricity generation and sales. 

“As one of the world’s leading uranium producers, Namibia is well positioned to deepen cooperation with partners such as CGN, with a focus on value addition, technology transfer, skills development, and the sustainable utilisation of its natural resources for the benefit of the Namibian people,” the presidency said in a statement.

Namibia is the world’s third-largest uranium producer, with output reaching 7,333 tonnes in 2024 and accounting for about 12% of global supply, according to the World Nuclear Association. Nearly all of Namibia’s uranium production was exported to China in 2024. The African country has yet to develop a downstream uranium processing or nuclear fuel supply chain beyond mine-site concentrate production.

Production in Namibia is concentrated at three mines – Langer Heinrich, 75% owned by Australia’s Paladin Energy (ASX/TSX:PDN), a uranium producer with assets in Namibia, Malawi, Canada and Australia – and Rössing and Husab, both of which are controlled by Chinese state-linked companies.

Rössing is controlled by China National Uranium Corporation, a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), which acquired Rio Tinto’s 68.62% stake in the mine in 2019. Husab is operated by Swakop Uranium, which is 90% owned by Taurus Minerals, a company backed by CGN and the China-Africa Development Fund, with the remaining 10% held by Namibia’s state-owned Epangelo Mining.

The CGN talks form part of a wider push by Namibia to secure more value from its uranium industry and broaden cooperation with partners in the nuclear fuel supply chain. In January 2025, former president Nangolo Mbumba raised uranium value addition during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to a statement from the Namibian presidency.

In June 2025, the Namibia Industrial Development Agency signed a memorandum of understanding with US company NANO Nuclear Energy (Nasdaq:NNE), a nuclear technology company developing microreactors and nuclear fuel services, to support the development of domestic nuclear fuel supply chain infrastructure.

The NANO Nuclear agreement also pointed to Namibia’s effort to broaden its uranium partnerships beyond Chinese state-owned groups. In April 2026, US officials also signalled interest in Namibia’s uranium and critical minerals sector as Washington seeks to strengthen supply chain resilience.

Beyond uranium processing, Namibia also wants to build its first nuclear power plant as it seeks to address chronic electricity shortages, Ecofin Agency writes, noting that about half of the 63 nuclear reactors under construction worldwide at the end of 2024 were in China.