Among the issues he addressed was marine phosphate mining. Something about phosphate seems to agitate the president. In 2016, Geingob, out of the blue, declared he was not for sale when asked about phosphate.
“I am not a commodity. I am not for sale,” he said, adding that he has never asked anybody, or a businessperson, for a cent. The issue of whether to allow phosphate mining on Namibia's ocean floor – for producing fertiliser – began making waves again following a report in The Namibian last week that the president is pressuring ministers for an “immediate solution”.
In one respect, Geingob is right to try and get his ministers to take decisions quickly. However, while it may be the right approach to attracting investment, the president has chosen the wrong issue. It may well have created a conflict of interest because of his closeness to the phosphate investors involved.
In 2013, Geingob led a Namibian business delegation to Oman to promote trade cooperation. Afterwards, billionaire Mohammed al Barwani teamed up with a member of the delegation, businessman Knowledge Katti, to start marine phosphate mining at Walvis Bay.
An ecology of connections soon emerged. Presidential friend Katti had subsequently footed a N$200 000 bill for the president's medical expenses, plus his airfare, several years ago. In 2015, the Omanis were special guests at Geingob's inauguration as president. Now, despite an ongoing court case, the president is applying pressure on his ministers to resolve the phosphate issue.
While there are those who euphemistically tout marine phosphate mining as the next coming of the Namibian economy, others warn that potential short-term gains will outweigh the long-term damage: It will be inestimable, if not irreversible.
More than that, sanctioning phosphate mining will not only benefit the Omanis, it will open the floodgates for other phosphate companies to follow suit, placing Namibia's ocean at even more risk.
It is no surprise that Namibia's fishing sector is opposed to marine phosphate mining.
Fishing pumps billions of dollars a year into the economy, and directly employs tens of thousands of people. Job creation in the sector rises to around 200 000 if the number is expanded to net makers, repairs and the maintenance of vessels, packing and stevedores.
By comparison, the number of jobs phosphate mining is likely to create is a drop in the ocean around an estimated 500 jobs during the construction phase, and 150 when the project starts.
Globally, phosphate mining has not covered itself in glory. On the contrary. It has covered itself in the debris of environmental destruction. It has cost livelihoods. It has disrupted the human food supply chain. It has all too often proved deadly.
Three weeks ago, The Guardian (UK) published an article on phosphate mining at a city in Tunisia, Gabes, where whole stretches of coastline are “unusable”. It quoted a resident as saying “there are hardly any fish left. Those that they do catch are dirty. If you open up their gills, you can see that the inside is black.” .
An Al Jazeera report, 'Pollution in Gabes, shore of death', described the city as 'Tunisia's cancer hot spot'. It said native species are dying, and illness is common.
Namibia has learned the hard way when it comes to projects linked to its coveted national resources. The mantra is always the same: Capital investment, job creation, the national economy will benefit. All too often, it turns out to be a smokescreen.
Projects are tripped up by greed, the few benefit, generational damage ensues.
The government – as the custodian of Namibia's resources – needs to put its foot down and say “thanks, but no thanks”. We cannot afford to follow in the footsteps of Esau in the Old Testament and sell Namibia's birthright for a mess of pottage. In our case, economic and environmental pottage.
To quote a Kenyan saying: “You must treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It is loaned to you by your children.”
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