STAFF WRITER
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform Inge Zaamwani Kamwi has announced an ambitious plan to create 15 000 jobs in five years from the fishing industry increasing local beneficiation locally by 15%.
This despite the industry being facing challenges from the Fishrot scandal.
The Fishrot scandal is a major corruption case involving bribery and illegal fishing practices in Namibia’s fishing industry. It centers around Icelandic fishing company Samherji, accused of bribing Namibian officials, including politicians, to secure lucrative fishing quotas. The scandal led to job losses, economic hardship for Namibian fishing communities, and investigations in both Namibia and Iceland.
The scandal resulted in the arrest of several high-profile individuals including two former ministers: Sacky Shanghala, a former Justice Minister and Bernard Esau, a former Fisheries Minister. Other individuals arrested include businessmen James Hatuikulipi, Ricardo Gustavo, Tamson Hatuikulipi, and Pius Mwatulelo.They were all charged with corruption, money laundering, and fraud.
Speaking fishing industry stakeholders on Wednesday Zaamwani-Kamwi said through domestic beneficiation Namibia aims to increase the percentage of catch processed locally to 45% within five years, create 15,000 new permanent jobs in processing operations, reduce raw fish exports by 60%, and develop at least three new high-value product lines for export markets.
“ We call upon all industry stakeholders to partner in this national effort to transform Namibia from a fishing nation into a comprehensive seafood economy where our marine resources create maximum benefit for all Namibians through sustainable employment, skills transfer, and industrial development,” she said.
Zaamwani-Kamwi also announced that the government wants an increased participation in the industry.
She said Namibianisation of the industry remains a cornerstone of the government’s fisheries policy.
“We will continue to refine our policies to promote the participation of Namibians at all levels of the industry, from vessel ownership, factory operations and management. This includes enhancing training programs and creating opportunities for skills development to build a highly skilled and competitive workforce,” she said.
She told the industry that the Ministry will invest in capacity- building initiatives, advanced monitoring technologies, and stricter enforcement of regulations to protect our resources.
“Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a threat to the sustainability of our sector. The Government will therefore strengthen its enforcement mechanism to combat illegal fishing in our maritime boundaries especially in our northern borders. To this end, the Ministry is exploring joint patrol mechanisms with other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence and NamPol,” she said.
She said InNamibian has ratified the Protocol on Fisheries so that we can enhance our efforts to combat IUU through collaboration with regional, continental and international partners.
“The Ministry remains committed to collaborating also with industry stakeholders, right holders, and fishing associations to refine and implement these strategies effectively. Together, we can achieve a sustainable and equitable future for Namibia’s marine resources, ensuring that they continue to benefit both current and future generations,” she said.
Meanwhile Economist Robin Sherbourne said there is not much data available on how the Namibian fishing industry can grow and improve its contribution to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Zaamwani Kamwi said the fishing industry contributed N$278 million through various streams, including quota fees, fund levies, license fees, and penalties on bycatches and over-catches to thje government.
“The industry provides significant employment opportunities, supporting over 19,440 Namibians, with 71% of workers engaged in onshore operations. The onshore segment has a notable female presence, with women accounting for 45% of the workforce, while offshore operations remain male-dominated, employing only 140 women at sea,” she said.
Commenting on the state of the economy on Wednesday Sherbourne said while the fishing industry has potential to contribute more to the economy there seems to be a level of secrecy on what is happening in that industry.
“There seems to be a lot of things happening in the fishing industry but again without ready made data it is very difficult to analyse how that industry can be grown,” he said while answering questions from those who attended his event.
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