Netherlands-based start-up Kelp Blue has announced the appointment of Fabian Shaanika as Managing Director for Kelp Blue in Namibia, effective January 2024.
Fabian brings nearly two decades of experience in the mining industry, having served in various technical and managerial roles at four of Namibia’s major mining operations.
Additionally, he boasts five years of experience in the banking sector and is currently the Mining Sector Lead at RMB Namibia
He holds qualifications in geophysics at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels from Leeds and Durham University, respectively. He has also completed a citation program in geostatistics from the University of Alberta in Canada and is a registered professional geologist with SACNASP.
Furthermore, Fabian has undergone managerial training from diverse institutions, obtaining qualifications from Imperial College (Design Think and Innovation), London Business School (Emerging Leadership Program), and Stellenbosch Business School (MBA).
Kelp Blue is a sustainable oceanic aquaculture enterprise established in 2020, headquarters in The Netherlands and operations in Namibia, dedicated to year-round cultivation of kelp canopy for the production of sustainable agri-foods and bio-stimulants.
In pursuit of its goals, the company aims to secure between N$800 million and N$1.4 billion in equity and debt funding to support the commercial development of the world’s first large-scale kelp farm in Namibia.
Kelp Blue is exploring the possibility of issuing a blue bond with the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX).
Kelp Blue harvests cultivated kelp from the seaweed canopy, processing it at the new plant in Lüderitz to create alternative agri-food, bio-stimulant, and textile products.
The firm is actively developing a range of products based on Macrocystis, including agri-feed designed to enhance animal productivity and digestibility.
