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U.S. charcoal retailer eyes business worth N$950 million with Namibia

U.S. charcoal retailer eyes business worth N$950 million with Namibia

The recently concluded charcoal trade deal with the United States is expected to have far-reaching impacts on the charcoal business in Namibia as U.S.-based charcoal retailer, Good Charcoal Company, intends to import a total of 165,000 tons of Namibian charcoal by September 2022, valued at over US$65 million (approximately N$950 million).

Last week on 16 April, Namibian charcoal producers, Africa Burns Charcoal and King Charcoal exported the first consignment of 350 tons of charcoal to the Good Charcoal Company, valued at over N$2 million.

If the U.S. market is receptive to Namibian charcoal, the Good Charcoal Company intends to import a total of 165,000 tons of Namibian charcoal by September 2022, they said in a statement.

This trade deal was facilitated by the U.S. government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The deal signals the commencement of a trade opportunity that could see Namibia export several thousand tons of premium-grade charcoal to the US tariff-free each month.

U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson praised the new trade link with the U.S., saying the Forest Stewardship Council has coined Namibian charcoal as ‘the greenest charcoal on the planet’, and “the charcoal being sent to the United States is FSC-certified in terms of international standards for environmental, economic, and social sustainability.”

The Good Charcoal Company is enthusiastic to introduce this particular brand of sustainable charcoal to the U.S. market. Namibian charcoal producers have worked for years to export to the U.S. market, the biggest charcoal consumer in the world.

This first sample for export marks a milestone for the Namibian Charcoal Association (NCA) and its membership. NCA General Manager, Michael Degé, speaking on behalf of the exporters Africa Burns Charcoal and King Charcoal, noted, “The support of development partners, including USAID, has been key in advancing charcoal as a priority sector for export, and the event today represents many months of efforts to meet the necessary entry requirements because we appreciate that the U.S. market is key to this export growth.”


Deputy Minister of Industrialisation and Trade, Verna Sinimbo (left) and U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson symbolically light a fire with the Namibian charcoal destined for export to the United States.

About The Author

Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys