Windhoek – The Employers’ Federation of Namibia (NEF) has added its voice to the public debate about phosphate mining off the Namibian Atlantic coast, with the employers’ representative body calling on thorough investigation about its effect on marine life.
The Mines and Energy Ministry has listed more than 46 sites off the coast for exploration of industrial minerals from the seabed.
But there have been squabbles among stakeholders – environmentalists and the fishing sector on the one hand and mining companies on the other about the possible exploitation of large quantities of marine phosphate deposits in the Atlantic Ocean.
In September 2013, Cabinet on the advice of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources issued an 18 month directive on marine phosphate mining on the country’s seabed, while a scientific study on the impact on environment and marine life is being conducted.
That moratorium has since lapsed and there have been increased calls from the mining sector for the government to pronounce itself on the matter.
Fisheries Minister Bernard Esau has been steadfast in his opposition of phosphate mining, having been urging, on numerous occasions, the Namibian Government not to rush to permit mining activities before proper scientific studies are conducted.
Esau has reasoned that marine phosphate exploitation has never been done anywhere in the world, and that there is little information available about its long-term effect on the marine environment.
His assertion was seconded by SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture Ltd from Norway, which conducted a scoping report preparing for an Assessment of Environmental Impacts about phosphate mining in the country.
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