WE have over the past 28 years keenly been observing developments in our fishing sector with both gratification and dismay.
We welcome all the initiatives taken by the fisheries ministry since its inception to counter the plundering of our marine resources by international vessels, and at the same time ensuring accessibility to and participation in the benefits derived from marine resources by the Namibian populace.
However, we are at the same time dismayed by the apparent concentration of fishing rights in the hands of a few well-connected companies or individuals. The invitation to the populace as recently gazetted to apply for fishing rights under certain stipulated terms and conditions marks a significant departure from past practices in that it aims to facilitate broader participation and inclusivity.
We welcome this wholeheartedly. Although this latest initiative is welcomed and applauded, certain unintended consequences crept in, and might threaten to undermine/derail the ministry's noble efforts.
For example, many aspiring fishing rights applicants had to face monumental costs with respect to company registration fees and exorbitant consultation fees for business plans. This is further compounded by the general ignorance of challenges in the fishing industry, for example fees for vessels, taxation, foreign exchange operations and fluctuations. Certain categories of people who have been promised to gain from marine resources, like people with disabilities are, the good intentions of the government notwithstanding, inhibited by their socio-economic conditions to meaningfully partake in the application exercise by some factors like company registrations, travelling expenses, and so forth.
Hence, there is a need to interrogate and review the practicability of the ministry's vision and the attainment of the intended objectives. Recent experiences have shown that the administrative capacity, and hence efficiency of institutions such as the Business and Intellectual Property Authority and the Social Security Commission, have been stretched to the limits.
Cumbersome negotiations with vessel owners added to further delays in meeting certain deadlines. After due consideration of the above, it is our humble opinion that from the outset, the involvement of pertinent partners should have been considered. We have in mind representative bodies such as civil society organisations, business organisations/chambers and corporate companies, employers' federations, the Namibia Informal Sector Organisation (Niso), and so forth.
History has shown that fluctuations in international business cycles always have adverse effects on workers, leading to retrenchments without any meaningful social security safeguards to fall back on. At this point in time, it is perhaps ideal to consider 'workers' protective trusts'. Such trusts should be ideally funded by contributions from all rights holders in the fishing industry to mitigate against the ravages of unforeseen calamities in the sector. Various legal instruments could be considered to secure the viability of such a concept.
In light of the above, an extension of the given deadlines might be imperative to allow further interrogations of the various impediments identified, if the noble ideal of inclusivity is to have practical meaning in the envisaged new fishing dispensation. These we request, as we have been overwhelmed by various organisations representative of sectors noted above, as well as individuals. We hope this would receive due consideration from the fisheries ministry.
Niso was formed to represent the interests of the informal economy as conduit between government and all other sectors of society. Niso strives for business informality to be recognised as a beginning, and develop a strategy of transformation of the informal economy.
* Veripi Kandenge is the secretary general for the Namibia Informal Sector Organisation.
