Staff Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, has urged stakeholders in the fisheries sector to critically assess the governance of the industry to gain a clearer understanding of the fisheries value chain and its impact on communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe must also examine how access to this national resource is governed: who receives access, on what basis, under what obligations, and with what level of transparency, accountability and institutional integrity. This means that we must examine not only volumes landed or exported, but also jobs maintained or created, incomes, value addition, investment, industrial development, public revenue, skills and enterprise development, and opportunities for Namibians throughout the fisheries value chain,\u201d Zaamwani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She made the remarks at the National Fisheries Indaba 2026 in Walvis Bay, which began on Thursday, 3 September 2026, and is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, 5 September 2026. The Indaba seeks to promote dialogue among stakeholders on the development and future of Namibia\u2019s fisheries industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe National Fisheries Indaba is not convened merely to discuss the fisheries sector. It is convened to help Namibia determine how this strategic national resource should be governed, protected and utilised so that it delivers sustainable and equitable benefits to our country and its people,\u201d Zaamwani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said substantial technical and stakeholder work had been carried out over recent months through consultations and other engagements aimed at gathering evidence on the fisheries sector. She urged stakeholders to use this evidence as a basis for meaningful reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday, that evidence is being brought together so that we can examine Namibia\u2019s fisheries system as a whole \u2014 from the biological resource and the science that informs its management, through access rights and harvesting, to value addition, economic contribution, employment, livelihoods and the future opportunities presented by aquaculture, technology and diversification,\u201d the minister explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zaamwani called on stakeholders to identify areas where the sector is performing well, as well as those that require strengthening or reform. She also noted that there is a need to identify where the evidence is incomplete or contested and where deliberate policy choices are required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all know too well that without healthy and sustainably managed fish stocks, there can be no enduring fisheries economy. Our decisions must therefore safeguard the biological resource, strengthen science and data, reinforce monitoring, control and surveillance, and ensure responsible stewardship for future generations,\u201d Zaamwani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister further urged stakeholders to explore ways of attracting greater investment into aquaculture, mariculture, small-scale fisheries, technology, digitalisation, skills development and diversification within the fisheries economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe industry brings operational and investment experience. Workers and organised labour understand the realities of employment and livelihoods. Communities understand the local impacts of policy choices. Scientists and researchers provide the evidence required for responsible resource management. Academia, development partners and technical experts bring additional knowledge and comparative experience. That is why we have invited a diverse group of stakeholders to bring your perspectives together around a common evidence base,\u201d Zaamwani said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She encouraged participants to agree on clear reform priorities, develop practical recommendations, clarify institutional responsibilities and establish a credible pathway for moving from recommendations to implementation, monitoring and accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOver these three days, we must interrogate that evidence, identify areas of convergence and disagreement, consider the trade-offs associated with different reform choices, and progressively move towards recommendations capable of informing Government decision-making. By the conclusion of this Indaba, Government expects more than a record of discussions,\u201d Zaamwani added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo: Ministry of Agriculture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Staff Reporter The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, has urged stakeholders in the fisheries sector to critically assess the governance of the industry to gain a clearer understanding of the fisheries value chain and its impact on communities. \u201cWe must also examine how access to this national resource is governed: …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":400395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-400394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n