Patience Makwele
Namibian fishing rights are under renewed scrutiny as the government prepares to review expiring rights and questions whether nominal Namibian ownership translates into genuine control and economic benefit.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced at the National Fisheries Indaba in Walvis Bay on Saturday, that fishing rights expiring from the end of this year would be reviewed, with the government expected to determine which rights should be renewed and under what conditions.
“Some of the rights expire towards the end of this year, and some next year, and because of this situation in which we found ourselves, we are going to make a review,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
She directed fisheries minister Inge Zaamwani to bring in people with industry knowledge who could provide an independent assessment, rather than relying solely on ministry officials.
The review comes amid concerns over ownership, quota allocation, declining fish stocks, local processing and whether Namibia is receiving sufficient economic returns from its marine resources.
Prime minister Elijah Ngurare told the Indaba that Namibia has about 462 fishing right holders, with approximately 92% being Namibian.
However, he warned against “paper quota” and “paper right holders”, raising questions about whether ownership on paper translates into actual economic control and benefit.
Nandi-Ndaitwah also raised concerns about the transfer of fishing rights, saying rights were initially allocated to Namibians after independence but were subsequently sold.
She called for safeguards against the indiscriminate sale of rights and urged the industry and regulators to operate with integrity and transparency.
“The industry must be ready to open their books to the regulator,” she said, adding that regulators should likewise explain the basis for their decisions.
The President said Namibia must balance its desire to attract foreign and local investment with ensuring that Namibians benefit meaningfully from the country’s marine resources.
“We say we are open for investment, foreign and local investors. So we need therefore to create a balance there,” she said.
During her remarks, local processing also emerged as another major area of reform.
Nandi-Ndaitwah questioned why fish should be processed offshore while Namibians remain unemployed, arguing that greater processing onshore could retain more jobs and economic value in the country.
She said policy must also account for potential job losses as fish stocks come under pressure, particularly in species such as horse mackerel.
Zaamwani said quota allocations should increasingly reward companies that invest in local processing, employment, skills development and youth participation.
“The approach of one size fits all cannot be the way we continue,” she said.
The minister also said commercial licences should be restricted to vessels with significant Namibian majority ownership and that fly the Namibian flag.
She warned that declining catches were putting pressure on an industry whose number of right holders had remained relatively stable, saying consolidation would have to be considered as available catches decline.
The government is also stepping up its response to illegal fishing.
Zaamwani told the Indaba that fish worth more than N$6 million had allegedly been harvested illegally from Namibian waters, highlighting the need for stronger monitoring and surveillance.
She said the government’s four-month diagnostic found that while some fish stocks remained healthy, others were under significant pressure and required immediate intervention.
Nandi-Ndaitwah stressed that fisheries management must be guided by science, questioning why government and industry scientists sometimes produce different recommendations on sustainable catch levels.
Using an example, she said government scientists could recommend a quota of 10 000 tonnes while industry scientists recommend 20 000 tonnes, with a compromise of 15 000 tonnes eventually adopted.
“Have we really solved the problem? I’m not sure we have,” she said.
The President further raised concern over the loss of experienced Namibian scientists from the public service, saying the government needed to examine not only remuneration but also working conditions and whether scientists felt their professional advice was valued.
She said fisheries could no longer be managed in separate compartments, arguing that science, governance, enforcement, investment, employment, value addition, data and administration are interconnected.
“Fisheries cannot be managed in compartments. Not in isolation,” she said.
Ngurare said the government had developed an interactive fisheries dashboard that could improve its ability to monitor the sector and track who benefits from Namibia’s marine resources.
The prime minister said the platform was developed by Namibian marine and artificial intelligence experts and could strengthen the government’s ability to track the sector and inform decision-making.
For Nandi-Ndaitwah, however, the immediate priority is implementation.
She warned that reforms would inevitably create resistance but urged stakeholders not to fear changes aimed at protecting the industry and ensuring that marine resources benefit Namibians.
“Next year, this time, we know that we are in the process of implementing our reform in the fishing industry,” she said.
The President concluded with a blunt message to stakeholders: “No business as usual.”
