Namibia slips in mining investment appeal

The latest Fraser Institute Survey of Mining Companies has found that various African countries, including Namibia, have declined in their investment attractiveness for mining exploration. The libertarian-conservative Canadian public policy think tank and registered charity headquartered in Vancouver’s, 2023 annual mining survey assesses the impact of mineral endowments and policy factors on attitudes toward exploration investment.  According to the survey results, Namibia’s score decreased from 59.88 last year to 56.43 this year, ranking forty-second.

The Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies was sent to approximately 2,045 explorations, development, and other mining-related companies around the world. The survey was conducted from August 16, 2023 to January 9, 2024. The companies that participated in the survey reported exploration spending of US$4.2 billion in 2022 and US$4.1 billion in 2023. The 2023 results from the Permit Times for Mining Exploration publication are included in this year’s survey.

The top

The top jurisdiction in the world for investment based on Investment Attractiveness Index is Utah, which moved up from 17th place in 2022. Nevada, which topped the ranking last year, ranked 2nd. Saskatchewan continues to be on the podium, ranking 3rd again this year. Rounding out the top 10 are Western Australia, Quebec, Manitoba, Arizona, Northern Territory, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Ontario. Canada has the most jurisdictions (5) in this year’s top 10. The remaining five are in the United States (3) and Australia (2).

The bottom

When considering both policy and mineral potential in the Investment Attractiveness
Index, Niger ranks as the least attractive jurisdiction in the world for investment followed
by China, Solomon Islands, and Argentina: La Rioja. Also, in the bottom 10 (beginning
with the less attractive for investment) are Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Kazakhstan,
Bolivia, and Cambodia. Africa has the most jurisdictions (4) in the bottom 10, followed by Asia (3), Oceania (1), Argentina (1) and Latin America and the Caribbean Basin (1).