Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The minister of labour, industrial relations and employment creation, Utoni Nujoma, has called attention to the continued exclusion and under-representation of persons with disabilities in the fishing industry.
He made the call at the Namibian Maritime Officers and Shipping Association’s (NAMOSA) annual general meeting last week.
“May I point out that the need to create employment, especially for the youth, is one of our nation’s biggest challenges. This is agreed. However, an aspect often forgotten but equally concerning is the continued exclusion and under-representation of persons with disabilities in Namibia, specifically in the fishing industry,” said Nujoma.
In the 2022–2023 financial year, the fishing industry employed only 34 people with disabilities out of a total workforce of 16,250.
“I cannot overemphasise the role of organisations such as NAMOSA in addressing this situation, and I call on you to also add your weight in this regard,” he said.
Nujoma also shared the ministry’s initiatives aimed at improving working conditions in the fishing sector, highlighting six key programs in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Among these was the establishment of the Strategic Compliance Task Team in 2021, which has enhanced compliance and safety standards in the sector through various training workshops, including Basic Safety Certification and Work in the Fishing Convention (C188).
The theme of the AGM was ‘Achievements of Namibian Maritime Officers on the Vessels in Industry Through Namibianization (Cadetship) Program, 30 Years (1994-2024), and a Call for Whitelisting of Namibia.’
The acting director of the Namibian Maritime and Fisheries Institute (NAMFI), Meriam Mwiya, emphasized the need for investment in training resources, particularly as the maritime sector evolved to include emerging industries such as oil and gas.
Mwiya stated that incorporating oil and gas training modules into NAMFI’s curriculum is critical to ensuring that Namibians can fully participate in the global market without having to
The chairperson of NAMOSA, Philip Iwete, emphasized the urgency of the IMO whitelisting Namibia, which would enable Namibian maritime officers to have their qualifications recognized internationally.
“Although so much effort has been put into maritime training, Namibian qualifications are not recognised outside of our waters. This is the problem because the country needs to be accredited first by the IMO. The issue of whitelisting Namibia by the IMO remains a thorn in the flesh,” said Iwete.
He urged the Ministry of Works and Transport to expedite the process.
“We need the process of whitelisting Namibia to be completed for proper Namibianization of our marine industry. This will ensure a truly competitive work and training environment where people compete on merit for the requisite knowledge and expertise in the market. We urgently need the department of maritime affairs to be an authority that will fast-track this process,” said Iwete.
