Dr Kawana addresses fishing industry

Namibia’s fisheries minister, Dr Albert Kawana (pictured above), is on a visit to the coast for his annual address of the fishing industry. Dr Kawana yesterday addressed a large audience of fisheries stakeholders at Swakopmund. That include both the public- and private sector stakeholders.

Dr Kawana took the hot seat as fisheries minister, first in an acting position and then a permanent deployment, soon after the Fishrot scandal surfaced.
Kawana yesterday called for greater cooperation between the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, trade unions in the fishing industry and the private sector of the fishing industry. He also called for more consultation at fishing association level where individuals can discuss industry-specific issues in the fishing industry with him.
Kawana reminded the audience that the country’s fish resources should benefit the nation at large, and should not be reserved for a few people.
“The Minister spoke very broadly. For us it is a wait-and-see approach whether indeed the private sector would be listened to and our inputs properly considered. The Minister did touch on very important issues such as the timely issuing of fish quotas among others. It remains to see how the Minister’s relationship with the private sector in the fishing industry develops”, an industry stakeholder told Namib Times after the meeting.
The full extract of the Minister’s address can be found on Namib Times Facebook.