Windhoek
Smokie Mack, which is a smoked Horse Mackerel brand, is being produced at an Ondangwa beneficiation processing plant.
This development has been hailed as a significant milestone and described as the first fish processing plant in northern Namibia. It also signals the diversification of an industry that has traditionally been restricted to coastal areas.
Smokie Mack is the brainchild of Reho Fishing, which is a fishing right holder in a joint venture agreement with Mack Fishing. Both these companies are 100 percent Namibian-owned.
The project has reportedly created 50 jobs and or job opportunities for Namibian youth and directly aims to empower young entrepreneurs. Reho Fishing said it has agreed to train 30 young entrepreneurs for the purpose of marketing and selling their product to the public.
In addition to equipping them with the necessary skills, Reho will also provide their first stock, as well as equipment to start their own businesses.
In 2004, Mack Fishing introduced a fish-drying project in Arandis, called RDS, a joint venture between Reho, Dorros and Starlit Fishing. The plant is said to be going strong and apparently provides employment to many of the locals.
The above-mentioned efforts are all in line with Vision 2030 and President Geingob’s plan of eradicating poverty and unemployment.
The fisheries ministry also encourages young right holders to come up with initiatives to transform the fishing industry and to prove to all that the country can use local products, skills and expertise to empower the Namibian people.