The Marine Resources Act has come under renewed scrutiny, with the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warning that the legislation grants excessive discretionary powers to officials, undermining accountability in Namibia’s fisheries sector.
Executive Director of the IPPR, Graham Hopwood, has called for urgent reforms to the Act, arguing that it enables secrecy and limits transparency in one of the country’s most valuable industries.
“The Act doesn’t actually address the issues of secrecy that have devilled the industry for many years now. As you know, it’s very difficult to find out who has quotas and who holds the rights. Even if you can find the names of the companies, they are often quite obscure and very difficult to trace,” Hopwood said.
In a newly released briefing paper, the IPPR recommends amending the Act to replace broad ministerial powers with institutionalised practices that foster transparency, fairness and good governance.
The report also calls on government to address institutional weaknesses within the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR), and to undertake wider reforms aimed at enhancing professionalism and improving governance standards in the fisheries sector.
Among its key recommendations, the IPPR urges Namibia to join the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) and commit to its global standards.
“The MFMR [Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources] to publish lists of all rights holders, quota recipients and licence holders inclusive of beneficial ownership details,” the report states.
The institute further calls for the immediate implementation of the Access to Information Act, noting that funding has already been allocated in the 2023/24 national budget to establish the necessary infrastructure and staffing.
In addition, it recommends that the Whistleblower Protection Act and the Witness Protection Act be operationalised without delay, with sufficient resources dedicated to their enforcement.
The report also challenges the private sector to support long-term, systemic reform in the fisheries industry, rather than continuing to benefit from what it terms a “dysfunctional” system. “Public transparency pledges” are proposed as one way for industry players to demonstrate a commitment to accountability and sustainable development
