Identified by Government as a priority development area in the National Development Plan (NDP2) and Vision 2030, aquaculture is believed to have an inherent promise of addressing many challenges, said the PM.

These include food security, poverty reduction and job creation.

Gurirab was one of several speakers singing the praises of the industry at the opening of the Aquaculture Investors Conference at Swakopmund last Monday.

"We are here to fast-track aquaculture development and hence Namibia's economic prosperity," said Abraham Iyambo, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources.

Norway's minister of fisheries and coastal affairs, Svein Ludvigsen, who talked about his country's 30 years of experience in the industry, warned that there were no easy solutions.

"Development rarely takes place without challenges.

Any county that wants to start with aquaculture must understand that getting the desired results takes time and considerable efforts."

He said through many trials and errors, Norway had become a world leader in developing aquaculture technology - "technology that has become an important export article.

Today, Norwegian seafood production is the tenth largest in the world with nearly 2 000 products exported to more than 150 countries."

The Minister said his country, with a small population of 4,6 million, was the third largest exporter after China and Thailand.

He agreed that aquaculture was becoming increasingly more important for food production, but said it was important to safeguard social considerations such as the use of coastal areas, the environment, fish health and welfare and ethics.

"Any aquaculture industry needs to address these issues seriously in order not to create an unfavourable reputation in the international realm."

Ekkehard Klingelhoeffer, Director of Aquaculture in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, sketched the potential of aquaculture in Namibia, saying the environment is conducive to the development of the industry.

He listed as benefits the rich Benguela current, existing infrastructure, a legal framework and policy in place, 1 500 km of largely uninhabited coastline, untapped resources of 92 species of fish in the Kavango, political stability and commitment by the ministry.

"We all know resources (of wild fish) are diminishing.

There is an alternative and that is fish farming."

Klingelhoeffer said in 2002 the world's fish catches had become stagnant at 93 million tonnes, while the aquaculture industry was on the increase with a total of 40 million tonnes.

Namibia is only still in the beginning stages.

The ministry's Aquaculture Strategic Plan makes a conservative estimate that the industry would grow from the current N$20 million to N$250 million in 2009.

Direct employment would increase from 422 people currently employed to 1 600 in four years' time.

Klingelhoeffer said on the mariculture side there was huge potential for abalone, scallops, crayfish and oysters.

Inland the plan is to establish fish farms in each of the 13 regions.

So far 35 aquaculture licences have been issued, while Government has developed three freshwater fish farms in the Caprivi Region and three in the Kavango Region, which are run by co-operatives.

A pilot project was started at Onavivi in the Omusati Region with the assistance of Spain.

The Director echoed Minister Iyambo's statement that their expectations had been exceeded by interest shown from investors.

He told The Namibian that anyone who wanted to double up money should invest in the industry.

"There has been huge interest, mostly from locals, but also international investors.

It is really taking off."

The three-day conference, attended by more than 200 business people, technical experts, managers of financial institutions, regional councillors, entrepreneurs and investors, was jointly hosted by Namibia and Norway.

Participants came from Norway.

Chile, South Africa, France, Spain and Namibia.

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