KEETMANSHOOP – There is a need for the promotion of inland fisheries as it can improve food security and generate income, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Albert Kawana has said. Kawana said this during a stakeholder meeting held at the Fonteintjie fish farm at Keetmanshoop on Monday.
The minister said it is time for Namibians to engage in inland aquaculture community projects to help them generate income and create employment for themselves and others.

“Many people are competing, they want fishing quotas and fishing rights for fish in the sea, but we can also generate income from inland fisheries so we need to balance the two. People ask how can fish live in a desert as Namibia is one of the driest countries in Africa, my answer to them is Israel is a dry country but it exports food, we just need to use our imagination. I am determined to develop inland fisheries, it must be developed for our people,” Kawana stressed.
He added that his ministry will soon call on individuals who are interested in aquaculture to consult the ministry for it to provide them with technical advice on how to farm with fish.
“We are ready to develop inland aquaculture projects,” he stated.

Kawana further said the market for tilapia or fresh water fish is larger than the amount of suppliers worldwide, reiterating that he is confident that Namibians can generate income not only from sea fisheries but also inland fisheries.

The construction of the Fonteintjie fish farm project started in October 2014 and was supposed to be completed in February 2016. At the time, it was expected to cost the government over N$20 million. The project is however only 85 percent complete and the contractor has reportedly abandoned it.

The meeting was held for stakeholders to find out why the project was abandoned and what the way forward should be.

As of the outcome of the meeting on Monday, the government will have to settle the account of the previous contractor, who was also at the meeting, and appoint a new contractor to finish the project which will cost the government an additional N$10 million.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa, //Kharas governor Aletha Fredericks, consultants and various government officials. – Nampa