Mining wants action, not talk
Namibia’s mining industry has called for faster implementation of reforms needed to unlock billions of dollars in investment, saying the country has reached a point where dialogue must translate into delivery if the sector is to realise its economic potential.
Delivering the opening address at the official opening of the 13th Chamber of Mines of Namibia Mining Expo and Conference in Windhoek on Wednesday, Chamber president George Botshiwe said this year’s theme, “From Dialogue to Delivery: Assessing Progress in Creating Mining-led Economic Growth and Employment Opportunities since Namibia’s Public-Private Forum”, reflects the industry’s determination to measure progress made since commitments were announced through the Namibia Public-Private Forum (NamPPF).
“Over the past year, the Namibian government and the private sector, led by Her Excellency, engaged extensively through the Namibia Public-Private Forum to identify practical interventions needed to unlock economic growth, investment and create employment opportunities. The mining industry has been an active contributor to the process, highlighting the considerable investment and employment opportunities that lie within Namibia’s mining pipeline,” Botshiwe said.
He said the conference provides an opportunity to evaluate progress made over the past year and identify remaining obstacles preventing mining projects from moving into construction and production.
“This conference provides an opportunity not simply to revisit discussions from the Namibia Public-Private Forum, but to honestly assess where progress has been made, where challenges remain and how government, industry and other stakeholders can work together to accelerate implementation,” he said.
Botshiwe said unlocking the sector’s investment pipeline would require continued collaboration between government and industry, particularly to address infrastructure constraints and provide greater regulatory certainty.
“Translating this potential into reality will require continued efforts to remove obstacles that we have identified. These could be technical, such as water supply, or regulatory, including providing certainty on pending legislation, particularly the Minerals Bill,” he said.
