For too long the mining sector has been a chief contributor and hence has always been a critical sector of the Namibian economy with a blind eye on the ownership of shares when it comes to mine workers.

Over the past years, the mining has been very visible both in expansion and industrialization. As a result of these developments, the sector has been crucial in contributing employment, infrastructure, and government revenue.

Hierarchically, Namibia’s mining industry made great strides in being ranked among the top ten in Africa for investment attractiveness. In 2023, it scooped the fourth position out of twenty-two African jurisdictions and 56th globally.

These were according to the Investment Attractiveness Index and the Fraser Institute Survey. Despite the constellation of ranks that Namibia is associated with, there is a great concern in the preservation of manpower behind all this operation and generation of national wealth of individual to minimise the inequality gap.

Liberation strings

The mining industry has a very great history attached to the path that paved the way for the liberation struggle, due to the exploitation and contract labor system, which was full of unjust practices.

To this end, you cannot memorialise the history of the struggle icons of the late Sam Nujoma, Ben Amadhila, and Andimba Toivo ya Toivo without any strings attached to the harsh history the majority of mine and rail workers endured.

It was as a result of men and women who

took up arms to fight the mighty Goliath of apartheid Germany and afterward South Africa.

As a result, after independence in 1990, the Namibian constitution ushered in a proclamation of the then Labour Act, which was enacted in 1992 and later amended in 2007. It’s overriding objectives is to ensure health, safety, and employees’ wealth.

In spite of the mushrooming of unions which play a protectionist role, mine workers need to protect their mental health and peace of mind, that can breed future investment return while protecting their health.

This is not peculiar, some of the outstanding practices on this are common in developed countries such as Canada, Australia, Chile, and Norway, and it is for that reason that they are global leaders.

For them to come to that, they establish a stage that is undergirded by the best labor laws, safety regulations, union representation, share ownership, and

sovereign wealth funds.

Paradigm shift

Recently, among others, NAMTVEST did a first of its kind groundbreaking with Swakop Uranium, which will unlock the mine workers ability to purchase company shares.

This reminds me of the old saying, “Every journey starts with a single step.” Kudos for a one-stop shop initiative such as this, for enabling mine workers to have a mouthpiece in the boardroom of discussion and reap the benefits of the Namibian resources.

Indubitably, there is an indication that the Stone Age is over, where the very hands that unearth this wealth live from hand to mouth instead of planting seeds of investment and building long-term financial assets.

This gives them the autonomy to be hard at work, as they are no longer salary collectors but shareholders. Given the global uncertainty, such capital, one will enable them to diversify and reinvest into other revenue-generating forms, such as SMEs or properties, to cover them during the rainy season.

Admittedly, not every investment is a windfall, but the aforementioned developed country proved to the world that it is doable, achievable, and manageable.

It has been often said that the problem that most developing countries face is bureaucratic.

On that note, as much as there is such a provision, the process of reaping the benefits should not be as hard as mining underground but conducive, convincing

and trust that the guarantee of a safety net for the contributors.

Avoid resource curse

While Namibia is making some commendable steps, it is important to not forget that research has it that Congo is the richest country in terms of resource deposits, yet it is stark and sobering.

This also proves to us that it’s not about how many mineral resources you have but also about how you empower your labor force, that you have to own them, and automatically management becomes easy. Economically, the absence of any meaningful benefits for the mine worker not only deepens economic inequality but also perpetuates cycles of exploitation and

instability.

Collectively, a nation that is ready for industrialization not only focuses mining on an industrial scale while leaving the manpower at the periphery of the benefits but also ensures that dignity, productivity, and economic justice are preserved.

Ultimately, when mine workers own a portion of shares and their welfare is upheld, they will not just mine for a paycheck, but they will dig with pride for a better future, simultaneously contributing to the Namibian economy at large.

In the long run, the dream should not be to only own shares but to have Namibians completely own mines, and in tandem will keep the spirit of the fallen heroes at peace. TioNakasoleisananalystatMONASAAdvisoryandAssociates.Theviews expresseddonotrepresentthose   his

employer. – theorastus@gmail.com.