EDITORIAL: Hardline stance on fishing rights a welcome move
Namibia’s fisheries sector has long stood at the crossroads of immense economic potential and corrosive elite capture. For decades, fishing rights - the gateway to our rich marine resources - have been distributed through a system that too often rewarded political connections over performance, integrity and the national interest. In this context, fisheries minister Inge Zaamwani’s firm stance on performance based fishing rights reform is not just commendable; it is urgently needed.
Too many right holders in the Namibian fishing industry have benefited not by virtue of hard work, compliance or contribution to national prosperity, but because of entrenched patronage networks that treated quotas as political spoils. The fallout from this capture came to a head with the Fishrot scandal, one of the most egregious episodes of state resource abuse in our young democracy.
For too long, this culture of entitlement and capture meant that underperforming players - some with little more than a licence on paper - were allowed to accumulate more rights and influence, perpetuating a system where failure was tolerated and even rewarded. The result has been stagnation in value addition, limited job creation and a deep mistrust in a sector that should otherwise be a pillar of our economy.
Zaamwani’s proposal to introduce a performance scorecard that objectively evaluates right holders is a bold and overdue corrective. It signals a clear departure from opaque, discretionary allocations that have opened the door to corruption and rent seeking. Her insistence that continual failure to meet performance benchmarks could lead to right holders being axed should hearten all Namibians who believe in fairness over narrow patronage.
No sector should be off limits from scrutiny, and no right should be guaranteed simply because of connections even after years of non performance. Those failing must make way for new players.
Too many right holders in the Namibian fishing industry have benefited not by virtue of hard work, compliance or contribution to national prosperity, but because of entrenched patronage networks that treated quotas as political spoils. The fallout from this capture came to a head with the Fishrot scandal, one of the most egregious episodes of state resource abuse in our young democracy.
For too long, this culture of entitlement and capture meant that underperforming players - some with little more than a licence on paper - were allowed to accumulate more rights and influence, perpetuating a system where failure was tolerated and even rewarded. The result has been stagnation in value addition, limited job creation and a deep mistrust in a sector that should otherwise be a pillar of our economy.
Zaamwani’s proposal to introduce a performance scorecard that objectively evaluates right holders is a bold and overdue corrective. It signals a clear departure from opaque, discretionary allocations that have opened the door to corruption and rent seeking. Her insistence that continual failure to meet performance benchmarks could lead to right holders being axed should hearten all Namibians who believe in fairness over narrow patronage.
No sector should be off limits from scrutiny, and no right should be guaranteed simply because of connections even after years of non performance. Those failing must make way for new players.
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