Namibia: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Virtual Assets Act 10 of 2023; Bank of Namibia designated as primary regulator under Section 5; NAMFISA as licensing/supervisory authority

Namibia enacted the Virtual Assets Act (Act No. 10 of 2023) in July 2023, becoming one of the first African nations to formally regulate virtual assets and repeal an earlier de facto ban. The Bank of Namibia was designated as the principal regulator, with NAMFISA administering a two-stage (provisional then operational) licensing regime for VASPs; as of mid-2025 only provisional authorisations have been issued and no full operational licences had yet been granted. Crypto is not recognised as legal tender, and the broader implementation, including detailed rules on stablecoins, custody prudential standards and tax guidance, remains in progress.

Framework: Draft Artificial Intelligence Bill (in preparation); National AI Strategy (2025); Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) as lead authority; National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) as research/assessment body

Namibia has no comprehensive AI law in force as of mid-2026. The government is actively drafting a standalone AI Bill alongside a Data Protection Bill and Cybercrime Bill, all under the stewardship of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT). A national AI strategy and a UNESCO-supported AI Readiness Assessment Report (2025) have been published, and a proposed National AI Council with sector-specific Technical Working Groups is planned to govern implementation.

Framework: Draft Data Protection Bill (tabled in National Assembly, September/October 2025); constitutional right to privacy under Article 13 of the Namibian Constitution; sector-specific rules under the Financial Intelligence Act 13 of 2012 and the Communications Act

Namibia has no comprehensive data protection law in force as of May 2026. The country relies on a constitutional privacy guarantee (Article 13) and fragmented sector-specific rules. A Data Protection Bill drafted from 2021 and substantially revised was tabled in the National Assembly in September/October 2025, but enactment has not been confirmed; no dedicated supervisory authority yet exists.

Framework: Payment System Management Act 14 of 2023, administered by the Bank of Namibia (BoN); supplemented by BoN determinations including PSD-3 on the issuing of electronic money.

Namibia operates a dedicated, in-force licensing regime for digital payments and e-money under the Payment System Management Act 14 of 2023, with the Bank of Namibia as the licensing and oversight authority for payment service providers, payment instruments and payment system operators. The PSD-3 determination (effective 27 March 2025) establishes tiered e-money issuer categories (bank, non-bank and micro e-money issuers) with a provisional-then-full licensing process. A national Instant Payment Programme is under build and scheduled to go live around mid-2026; there is no dedicated open-banking or buy-now-pay-later framework yet.

Framework: Namibia Digital Nomad Visa, jointly administered by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB) and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security (MHAISS) under the Immigration Control Act (No. 7 of 1993) and its regulations.

Namibia launched a dedicated Digital Nomad Visa on 11 October 2022, enabling location-independent foreign professionals to live and work remotely in Namibia for up to six months, provided income derives from sources outside Namibia. The programme is administered by NIPDB in partnership with MHAISS, with applications submitted by email and a visa fee of NAD 3,300 payable on arrival. The visa is non-renewable but applicants may reapply 12 months after expiry.

Framework: Electronic Transactions Act 4 of 2019; Communications Act 8 of 2009 (CRAN); Cybercrime Bill 2026 (pending parliament)

Namibia has partial online safety regulation anchored in the Electronic Transactions Act 4 of 2019, which establishes intermediary liability safe harbours and a formal takedown-notice regime for unlawful content. There is no comprehensive online safety law equivalent to the EU DSA or UK Online Safety Act; a dedicated Cybercrime Bill was still undergoing stakeholder validation workshops as of April 2026 and had not yet been passed by parliament. The internet remains relatively open with no state-level censorship or mandatory age-verification requirements.

Framework: Cybercrime Bill, 2026 (pending Parliament); Electronic Transactions Act 4 of 2019 (in force); NAM-CSIRT under the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN)

Namibia lacks a standalone, comprehensive cybersecurity law. The Electronic Transactions Act 4 of 2019 is in force but governs electronic commerce and evidence, not cybersecurity obligations broadly. A dedicated Cybercrime Bill (dated January 2026) is in the legislative pipeline, circulated for stakeholder validation in early 2026, but had not been enacted as of May 2026. Operationally, NAM-CSIRT (hosted by CRAN) published non-binding National Cybersecurity Incident Management Guidelines in April 2026.

Framework: Companies Act 28 of 2004 (administered by BIPA, Business and Intellectual Property Authority); Foreign Investment Act of 1993 (still operative governing FDI); Namibia Investment Promotion Act 9 of 2016 (gazetted but withdrawn for revision in 2021, not yet in force)

Namibia is generally open to foreign business formation with no statutory minimum capital and 100% foreign ownership permitted in most sectors. Registration is managed through BIPA via a multi-step process requiring notarised documents, name reservation, and subsequent tax registration with NamRA, with a realistic total timeline of 10-20 working days. Sector-specific ownership restrictions apply in retail, land, and natural resources, and the regulatory framework is in transition with the 2016 Investment Promotion Act not yet implemented.