The two authorities will exchange expertise and promote bilateral cooperation in various maritime sub sectors.
by Blue Africa News
The Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) and the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) have formalised a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation between Namibia and Egypt.
SCA is an Egyptian state-owned authority which operates and maintains the Suez Canal, while Namport manages and operates both the Port of Walvis Bay and the Port of Lüderitz in the Southern African nation.
The MoU, was signed on December 17, 2025 at the SCA headquarters in Ismailia by Engineer Nashaat Nasr Eldin, Director of the SCA Transit Department, and Andrew Kanime, CEO of the Namibian Ports Authority, and witnessed by among others, Ossama Rabiee, chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, and Nangula Hamunyela, chairperson of the Namibian Ports Authority.
It focuses on capacity building, port infrastructure development, marine asset management, dredging expertise and information sharing, geared toward supporting Namport’s ambition to position Namibia as a leading regional logistics hub and transshipment centre on Africa’s western seaboard.
“We’re ready to commence cooperation and seek to penetrate new markets and achieve further openness to the African continent,” said Rabiee, in a press statement shared by SCA.
“This cooperation reflects the depth of the Egyptian – Namibian relations and will help promote the joint relations between both countries,” emphasised Nangula Hamunyela, in the same statement.
Under the MoU, the two authorities will exchange expertise and promote bilateral cooperation in various sub sectors, among them maritime construction works, sales and chartering marine units, and maritime training through the SCA’s maritime training and simulation academies.
Drawing an example from SCA’s successful development of the Port of Sirte in Libya leading to its reopening after a 14-year closure, Rabiee directed provision of full support for implementation of the agreement with Namport, as Namport’s chairperson expressed her eagerness to cooperate with SCA in implementing the ambitious development plan for Namibia’s ports.
“This cooperation reflects the strength of the relations between Egypt and Namibia, and will contribute to bolstering bilateral ties,” she said, adding that the advanced technology and extensive experience of the Suez Canal Authority will contribute to strengthening and accelerating the desired development efforts in Namibia’s ports, eliminating the need to rely on foreign expertise, personnel and technology transfer from other continents.
Egypt and Morocco are seen as continental leaders in port operations, after Port Said (Egypt) and Morocco’s Tanger Med were ranked Africa’s top-performing ports, placing 3rd and 5th globally respectively, in the 2024 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) report, jointly released by the World Bank Group and S&P Global Market Intelligence.
The two North African ports were the only container ports in Africa ranked among the world’s top 20, in a list dominated by Chinese ports.
With a score of 137.4, Port Said elbowed Tanger Med from its long-standing number 1 position in Africa, after several strategic investments and reforms.
The investments include the ongoing major expansion of the Suez Canal Container Terminal (SCCT) at East Port Said, supported by a loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The expansion, the CPPI report noted, seeks to increase the terminal’s capacity by an additional 2.1 million (twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), resulting in a total installed capacity of 6.6 million TEUs.
Further, Port Said’s authority and terminal operator (a consortium led by APM Terminals and Cosco) have implemented digital port-community systems and optimization of vessel scheduling, immensely improving efficiency.
The deal with SCA is not the only one for Namport in 2025. In January, the Namibian Ports Authority announced the signing of an MoU with Port of Sines and Algarve Authority, Portugal, to enhance knowledge exchange, capacity building, and operational excellence between the two port authorities.
The agreement marked a new era of maritime cooperation, paving the way for mutual growth, innovation, and sustainable economic development.
Namport, under its strategic vision, seeks to become a national gateway for trade and commerce, West Africa’s transshipment hub and Southern African Development Community (SADC) energy and industrial hub.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News