Zorena Jantze
PRESIDENT Hage Geingob today officially inaugurated the Debmarine Namibia vessel.
Speaking at the occasion Geingob explained that the vessel will be deployed to recover diamonds from the seabed safely, with due regard to our fragile marine environment.
“I am very pleased to be informed by the officials that, due regard for the environment is indeed the main consideration for the type of vessel procured for the sea mining operations of Debmarine Namibia,” Geingob stated.
The president further stated that while the country has made significant discoveries and strides in the energy sector such as Oil discoveries in the Orange Basin as well as investment in Hydrogen, projects of this nature by Debmarine will sustain the economy until the new projects come into fruition.
“This coming Monday, we will be celebrating 32 years of independence. At 32 years of age, Namibia has a wonderful story to tell. It is a story of peace, unity and development. It is a story of perseverance and hard work.
“It is a story in which the mining sector has played an instrumental role. The mining sector remains one of the major contributors to GDP, and according to our National Planning Commission (NPC) has been contributing an average of 10% of GDP since 1990. In fact, since 2012, the mining sector contribution increased with the addition of new mines that started operating, resulting in a contribution to GDP of 14% in 2018, the highest ever,” Geingob said.
He added that in the Harambee Prosperity Plan II, the government has undertaken to develop complementary engines of growth.
“As a country, we aim to maintain our competitive edge as an investment location for mining-related activities and leverage this position and expertise through attractive investment policy frameworks to accelerate investments in non-traditional economic sectors. In this regard, Namibia is also well positioned to design and champion a sustainable “blue economy”,” Geingob said.
He, however, stated that in a highly capital intensive and technologically advanced industry, few Namibians possess the means to exploit these minerals and that this is why the government courts investors.
“However, I wish to emphasize that as a government our contract with the people of Namibia is that we will always use our best endeavours to ensure that we deliver the best value for our people, from every investment in our mineral resources. As part of the Second Struggle for Economic Emancipation of all Namibians, it is the expressed wish of the Namibian Government that raw materials extracted from the Namibian soil and sea should also directly benefit, through economic shareholding, the communities in the areas from which the resources are derived,” Geingob said.
He further noted that Namibia is one of the most economically unequal societies in the world, and the government’s goal has continuously been to eliminate inequality through wealth creation and distribution.
“Yes, we welcome employment creation, taxes and royalties which are prudently employed by Government for the national development of the country. But over and above those welcome benefits, we want to see community-based economic empowerment through shareholding and more corporate social responsibility programs, particularly in the exploitation of national resources” Geingob said.
