SWAKOPMUND – The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Bernard Esau, says he is not willing to put at risk the country’s renewable resources at the cost of the temporary exploitation of phosphate.
Esau’s stand was backed by the entire fishing industry during a one-day consultative meeting between the fishing and mining industries that took place at Swakopmund yesterday.
The meeting, attended by other stakeholders and line ministries, was held to consult on the scoping for an environmental assessment study (EAS) of phosphate mining along the country’s coast.
Although tension was felt throughout the meeting, all stakeholders advocated for a detailed report on the possible effects phosphate mining would have on the fishing industry that are still in stages of recovery from years of overexploitation before Namibian independence in 1990.
According to Esau, no prior experience of bulk removal of the seabed for mining of phosphate exists anywhere in the world and therefore it is essential that government conducts proper research and examines the consequences carefully before allowing such mining activity.
“After months of investigation and deliberations on this issue of marine phosphate mining, I called for an 18-month moratorium on marine mining in September this year and the moratorium has been supported by the government,” he explained.
Esau said he recognized the importance of phosphate mining and its potential to the country’s economy and job creation but added: “We must also know and understand how our ecosystem functions and do our utmost best to ensure that it remains healthy and productive in order to support the rich harvest of fishery products that are so important to the country. However, we must ensure that such activities co-exist with the fishing industry and are done with minimal impact on the marine ecosystem.”
A spokesman of the Chamber of Mines said the mining industry fully supports the notion of co-existence or all industries operating in the marine space. According to the chamber, Namibia is already an acknowledged leader in marine mining and environmental management, being the only place in the world where marine diamonds are being mined successfully by the world’s most
advanced marine mining fleet.
“The Chamber of Mines fully backs government’s plan to conduct
environmental studies as it allows for comprehensive research by independent experts, so that these two sectors can fully operate in co-existence,” he noted.
Marine phosphate mining will, if given the go-ahead, create at least 1 500 jobs.
Once in operation marine phosphate is also expected to boost the Namibian economy in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contributions, corporate and royalty taxes to government and foreign exchange earnings.
Phosphate is a vital ingredient to agricultural productivity and food security.
The mining would also be in line with the goals and objectives of Namibia Development Plan 4 and Vision 2030 if it is vertically integrated to maximize benefits to the country.
On the other hand the fishing industry is currently the third largest contributor to the country’s GDP and employs about 13 000 people. The industry also has huge potential to expand and create further jobs, if the resources are responsibly managed.
By Eveline de Klerk