Erongo casts wider community net with N$2.6m fish drive

A N$2.6 million Erongo initiative will support 12 beneficiaries across all seven constituencies with fish shops, stock, start-up capital and training to promote fish consumption and community participation in the fisheries sector.

Erongo governor Nathalia /Goagoses outlined the Erongo Governor’s Fish Consumption Promotion Initiative during the National Fisheries Indaba in Walvis Bay on Friday, describing it as a flagship project intended to give communities a more direct stake in the region’s ocean economy.

/Goagoses said the project represents a practical example of how communities could become participants in the blue economy rather than only beneficiaries of policies developed around it.

“The true measure of our fisheries sector will not be tonnes harvested or revenue generated, but lives transformed, jobs created, families nourished, communities empowered and therefore future secured,” /Goagoses said.

The initiative will be officially launched on 11 September.

/Goagoses said the 12 beneficiaries will receive converted containerised fish shops with cooling facilities and equipment, initial fish stock and start-up capital of N$5 000.

They will also receive tailor-made training and mentorship aimed at helping them establish sustainable businesses.

She said the region will ensure the beneficiaries grow from “a small SME to having supplies to own in the next five to 10 years the factories, the boats, the ships”.

“This is not about handing out equipment. It is about handing over ownership in its real meaning,” she said. “It is a project of handing over opportunity to the Namibians. It is about transforming our people into active participants in the fisheries value chain, creating businesses, dignified jobs and, of course, dignity.”

Beyond the coast

The initiative also seeks to increase fish consumption among communities while creating opportunities for residents to participate economically in an industry centred largely along the Erongo coast.

“Our fish must not only leave our shores as a commodity, it must create opportunity on our shores,” /Goagoses said.

She said discussions about Namibia’s blue economy should ultimately translate into tangible benefits for communities.

Competitiveness, she said, should not come at the expense of people, while inclusion should mean that Namibians can “see and feel the benefits of our ocean economy”.

/Goagoses said the Erongo initiative could also stimulate discussion about extending similar community-based approaches to other parts of the country.

The project also incorporates youth and culture into its fish consumption campaign.

Young artist Indenikuye Shuudenil from Henties Bay composed a special fish consumption promotion song for the initiative after young people in the region were invited to compete to create an appropriate song.