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No politics in container terminal bid

2022-04-21  Eveline de Klerk

No politics in container terminal bid

WALVIS BAY – Political considerations will not come into play when choosing/picking the preferred bidder to run the new container terminal for the next 25 years.

Namport CEO Andrew Kanime said this during a press briefing last week.

Kanime was responding to questions posed by journalists on whether Namibia’s political allegiance and international relations will influence the outcome of the process.

Namport last week announced they started the process of appointing an international port operator to run the N$4.2 billion container terminal that was commissioned in 2019.

“Not that I can think of... we should understand that Namport is a commercial public enterprise and in terms of our legislation, we are expected to act like any other commercial enterprise. We also do not operate in a vacuum and should be mindful of political considerations but the primary driver for this decision is commercial,” Kanime explained.

He said they are purely looking at the process from a business perspective, as the successful operator will be required to bring value to Namibia. 

“Suffice to say that all participants are credible and there is no political risk whatsoever. Also take note that we are working hand in hand with our shareholder in terms of this process.

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah, however, is of the opinion that one must consider the role politics and international relations play in this decision.

“We cannot blindly think about its commercial aspect without considering politics, security and other economic ramifications, especially when we look at the magnitude of this investment both nationally and internationally and its strategic position,” he added.

According to Kamwanyah, there are some security concerns that need to be looked at and the international ramifications if the chosen partner does not adhere to international laws. 

“It might affect who we do business with. Although this is a common practice in the world, it is worth taking a closer look at what we might encounter going forth to make sure that both parties adhere to their end of the bargain,” he said.

Walvis Bay resident and for councillor Knowledge Ipinge yesterday said an international partnership is necessary for the terminal to be profitable, saying that a reputable partner would benefit Namibia in the long run.

“We should first understand how the process work and see how we can also benefit and position ourselves the same way countries such as Dubai maximise the benefit of the container terminals. International port operators in other counties went as far as investing in these countries while managing their ports,” Ipinge advised.

According to him, advocating for a Namibian company or operator to manage the port is pointless.

“We do not have the capacity to do so. We should only advocate for a fair and transparent process so that we can get a suitable partner. Let politics stay out of the whole process so that it is rather driven by the economic performance and benefits of Namport,” Ipinge said.

- edeklerk@nepc.com.na


2022-04-21  Eveline de Klerk

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