Erongo is putting money where its blue-economy promises are, with a N$2.6 million initiative that will put fish shops, stock, training and business capital directly into the hands of communities across all seven constituencies.
The ambitious Erongo Governor’s Fish Consumption Promotion Initiative is designed to move ordinary Namibians from being spectators in the fisheries industry to becoming active players in the value chain.
Twelve beneficiaries will receive converted containerised fish shops fitted with cooling facilities and equipment, initial fish stock, N$5 000 in start-up capital, as well as tailor-made training and mentorship.
Governor Dr Nathalia Goagoses unveiled the initiative at the National Fisheries Indaba in Walvis Bay, describing it as a flagship project aimed at increasing fish consumption while creating community-based businesses around the country’s marine resources. The initiative will officially launch on 11 September, after its original 3 September launch was postponed to accommodate the Fisheries Indaba. But Goagoses says the project is not about simply handing out containers and equipment. “This is not about handing out equipment. It is about handing over ownership in its real meaning,” she said.
“We are going to see through that they become from a small SME to having supplies to own in the next five to 10 years the factories, the boats, the ships,” Goagoses said.
That vision places the initiative firmly within the broader debate over who actually benefits from Namibia’s fisheries resources.
For years, communities have watched fish leave Namibia’s waters while questions have persisted over how much economic value remains onshore.
Goagoses says that must change. “Our fish must not only leave our shores as a commodity, it must create opportunity on our shores,” she said. The initiative aims to increase access to fish in communities while creating businesses, jobs and opportunities for residents to participate directly in the fisheries value chain.
Goagoses said the true measure of the fisheries sector should not simply be the volume of fish harvested or the revenue generated by the industry. Instead, she said, success should be measured by “lives transformed, jobs created, families nourished, communities empowered and therefore future secured.”
The project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Merlus and Kalapushe Fishing Pty Ltd.
Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform Minister Inge Zaamwani will officiate at the official launch. The governor believes the Erongo model could eventually provide a blueprint for similar community-based fisheries initiatives elsewhere in Namibia.
“We believe that the Erongo model, yes, can and should stimulate a broader national conversation,” she said.
The project is also bringing youth and culture into the campaign. Young Henties Bay artist Indenikuye Shuudenil composed a special fish-consumption promotion song after young people were invited to compete for the opportunity.
For Erongo, the message is clear: the blue economy cannot remain an industry watched from the sidelines.
The fish may come from the ocean, but the wealth, businesses and opportunities must increasingly reach the people living on its shores.
By Rudi Bowe
