The Namibian bush-biomass sector presents a unique opportunity where ecological restoration and economic potential of natural resource utilisation intersect. By capitalising on the abundance of woody biomass, the Namibian bush-biomass sector has successfully turned what was once considered a problem, 'woody plant encroachment', into an opportunity for economic benefit and ecological restoration. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in leveraging value chains and building institutional capacities for a self-sustained restoration economy. This synthesis paper draws lessons from the bilateral Namibian-German development cooperation project Bush Control and Biomass Utilisation (BCBU), implemented from 2014 to 2024, and contextualises these lessons within a historical perspective. It is aimed at decision-makers in development agencies, sector support institutions and companies that are interested in furthering the sector's development or are working in similar settings in other countries.