Ekandjo blasts phosphate project

VETERAN politician Jerry Ekandjo says billionaire Mohammed Al Barwani should extract phosphates from his home country Oman, not Namibia.

Ekandjo, who has held several ministerial portfolios, said in an interview with The Namibian this week Namibians did not fight for independence for the country’s resources to be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

He also made the same remarks in the National Assembly two weeks ago.

“That billionaire must go and mine in his country, there is a sea there. His country never assisted or supported us during the struggle. It was the socialist countries who did,” he said.

Namibian Marine Phosphate (NMP), a company which wants to extract phosphates from the Atlantic Ocean, is owned by Omani billionaire Al Barwani through his company Mawarid Mining LLC with 85% shares, while a 15% stake is owned by middleman Knowledge Katti. They refer to it on their website as the Sandpiper Project.

“Phosphate mining will destroy our marine resources. It has not been done anywhere in the world, therefore Namibia should not be used as a test ground for phosphate mining,” Ekandjo said.

“Those who support it are saying it will create 300-2500 jobs. They should know that mining is not renewable. Phosphate will not benefit generations to come like the fisheries sector,” he said.

According to him, the fast growth of the Walvis Bay and Lüderitz economics is attributed to the thriving fishing industry at the two towns.

He added that those who want to mine phosphates in the sea want to turn Walvis Bay and Lüderitz into ghost towns like Kolmanskop.

“We did not fight or go to jail for our natural resources to be destroyed. Marine phosphate mining will not happen. We will not allow it,” he charged.

The politician said that although the marine phosphate mining issue is in court, the outcome of that court should be to defend the fisheries sector.

“There are People’s Liberation Army of Namibia fighters in the villages without limbs and on wheelchairs. Their aim was to fight for the defence of our marine resources,” he said.

Ekandjo’s strong stance against phosphate mining goes against president Hage Geingob’s pressure on the environment ministry to make a decision on the application for marine phosphate mining.

Geingob has never criticised or questioned the proposed phosphate mining project. In fact, he is seen as a key supporter of the project by some of his Cabinet ministers.

This is not the first time a Swapo leader has spoken out against phosphate mining.

Last year the Swapo party youth league condemned the project saying the ocean should not be sacrificed for profit by certain individuals.

Former president Sam Nujoma has also blasted the proposed seafloor mining since 2013.

NMP’s chief executive officer Chris Jordinson said his organisation prefers not to comment on any statements that are “potentially politically motivated”.

Jordinson added that Namibia promotes foreign investment within the mining industry, and independent expert reviews of NMP’s Sandpiper Project concluded that it is technically, economically, and environmentally feasible, which once developed, would be a significant contributor to Namibia’s economic growth.

NMP also said on their website last week the development of Namibia’s world-class marine phosphate mineral resources along with a fully integrated phosphate and fertiliser industry would be in line with Namibia’s national development initiatives under Vision 2030 and the Harambee Prosperity Plan.

“These initiatives aim to see the evolution of integrated industrialisation in Namibia, adding value to the upstream raw materials through downstream in-country processing.

“Establishing a fertiliser industry would enable an increase of in-country agricultural productivity, and also see Namibia becoming an exporter of phosphate and fertiliser, helping the world achieve food security,” the company’s website states.

“In fact, the Sandpiper Project’s phosphate concentrate has been assessed by international institutions as being commercially viable and cost-effective,” the website states.