LÜDERITZ – The Lüderitz Crayfish Festival signifies the many opportunities and successes made possible by independence, said the Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration, Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, during the opening of the festival in the town over the weekend, where she spoke on behalf of President Hifikepunye Pohamba.
“We (Namibians) must consider the challenges and successes that we have overcome since independence. The crayfish festival signifies such opportunities created by this independence,” she said.
She said the festival has the potential to become the major contributor to unleashing the growth of the economy of Lüderitz. The festival, which has been hosted in the town since 2008, was held under the theme ‘Celebrating Crayfish in Diversity’.
Iivula-Ithana also urged the town’s management to tap into local resources and strengthen its tourist attractions. “Tourism has been identified as a vital pillar of our economy and as one of the priority sectors in our National Development Plan 4. And as we know, tourism contributes more than 14.5 percent to our economy and represents 18 percent of our employment. This part [of Namibia] is rich in fauna and flora and we find a lot of flamingos and many different species of sea animals here,” she said.
She added that the Waterfront Development Project, currently under construction, is part of government efforts to strengthen the town’s economy. Once completed the waterfront will house Africa’s largest maritime museum as well as various indoor sport and entertainment activities.
Iivula-Ithana said that projects such as the Neckartal Dam, Trans-Kalahari Highway and Kudu gas are aimed at strengthening the country’s competitiveness.
On a subsequent tour of Shark Island, Ivula-Ithana urged the exploration of development possibilities such as holiday accommodation along the many bays of Lüderitz.
Lüderitz mayor Susan Ndjaleka assured that the town’s management was working hard to boost the town’s economic growth. She did however, lament the lack of funds for development projects and the dire state of housing in the town.
“We need money, a large number of people still live in shacks and we really want to give people in Area 7 proper housing. We expect more than 270 houses to be built under the mass housing project here in Lüderitz,” she said.
By Jemima Beukes