Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was recently elected president of Namibia after making several promises during her campaign to bolster the nation’s fishing industry.
Nandi-Ndaitwah will succeed Nangolo Mbumba, becoming Namibia’s fifth president and the country’s first female to hold the position.
The road to victory for Nandi-Ndaitwah was paved with numerous commitments to the Namibian fishing industry, including a pledge to effectively manage and maintain the country’s fish populations, which account for around 20 percent of the country’s export earnings.
The incoming president’s party, the Southwest Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), has also pledged to “develop value-addition processing facilities, support value-added activities to enhance the economic value of fish products, and ensure affordability through local production and value chain development” within the next five years, which is the length of a Namibian presidential term.
SWAPO has also committed to investing in training for professionals up and down the country’s seafood value chain and opening more opportunities for Namibian-owned and -operated fishing vessels, especially within the country’s marine fisheries.
Notably, SWAPO and its leadership has vowed to ensure equitable allocation of fisheries resources, particularly via the nation’s fishing quota-allocation process.
Though the promises may seem to signal positive news for the nation’s fishers, politicians throughout the country’s short history – including several within the SWAPO party – have made similar commitments with mixed results. …
