HARDAP – The Chinese Embassy in Namibia on Monday handed a donation of N$50 million to the Hardap Inland Aquaculture Centre (HIAC).
The donation was handed over by the Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Xin Shunkang at a ground-breaking ceremony, and it will go towards the upgrading of the inland aquaculture centre.
The N$50 million upgrade of the facility will include the construction of a new integrated processing workshop and new cold storage, the renovation of open marketable fish ponds, the construction of two marketable fish cultivation green houses and the construction of big sized fingerling cultivation green houses.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Xin urged the Chinese contractor to work with the local people so that the region can be fully developed.
Applauding the Namibian fishing industry Ambassador Xin said the industry is the second largest in the country in terms of its contribution to the Namibian economy, adding that Namibian fish is liked by local people as well as by the international community.
“As we all know the Namibian fishing industry is famous for its world-class capabilities in handling, distributing and marketing fish products,” he said.
He further thanked the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and all other stakeholders for their efforts to bring such developments to the Hardap Inland Aquaculture Centre.
The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Bernhard Esau praised the Chinese government for their continued support to the Namibian people.
He said the occasion was a celebration of the bilateral cooperation, with the government of the Republic of China demonstrating its strong commitment to assist Namibia in its development goals.
Esau said the upgrading of HIAC is a great achievement in history.
“This marks another milestone on our path to promote food security, create employment and generate income for our people,” he stated.
He said it also signified and underlined the importance that government attaches to supporting the development of aquaculture in the country.
“Government was and is still convinced that aquaculture has the potential to make a difference in the lives of our people, especially the poor,” concluded the fisheries minister.
The ground-breaking ceremony also saw a donation of N$5 000 to the community school fund, from Synohyro Jiajin the company that is contracted to undertake the upgrade.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Ulitala Hiveluah received the cheque on the community’s behalf and handed it over to the fund administrator.
In his short speech Wang of Synohyro Jiajin expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to work on such a big project, saying the work will be provided equally to both men and women and every worker will be paid their deserved dues in full.
Expressing his love for Namibia he said Namibia is a lovely country and he has learned a lot – “they call it Africa but I call it home, I love Namibia,” he said.
The renovation will be done over a year and around 37 tons of marketable fish and a half million fingerlings per annum are to be produced after completion.
By Matheus
Hamutenya