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Health and wealth benefits for Namibia

Health and wealth benefits for Namibia

THEY’RE called Pacific, Atlantic and Olympia, and are among the most sought-after oysters in the world.

Can Namibian oysters be far behind? Dr Alec Forbes would like to ensure that and he would not only like to see Namibia become world-famous for oysters, but also for shrimp. “Shrimp production is gaining momentum around the world,” says Forbes.”We have some very big players who are looking at Namibia to invest.”Since 2004, Dr Forbes has worked in Namibia’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources under the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC).The fund assists member countries with development projects at the request of their governments.In 2002, the Namibian Government approached the Commonwealth Secretariat for assistance to create an aquaculture industry in the country.Aquaculture is the science, art, and business of cultivating marine or freshwater food fish or shellfish, such as oysters, clams, salmon, and trout, under controlled conditions.Though Namibia’s fishing industry was booming, an aquaculture sector was non-existent.In stepped Dr Forbes.Originally from Scotland, Forbes went to Australia in 1994 where he was awarded citizenship for work he did on shrimp viruses that were prevalent at the time.His past experience setting up aquacultures in China, Thailand, Seychelles, Philippines, Australia, Bangladesh, Fiji Islands and Tanzania made him the perfect candidate for the CFTC project in Namibia.”Namibia is an ideal country in which to introduce aquaculture,” says Forbes.”It is unspoiled and learning from the mistakes of others.We can establish a strong, viable, sustainable and ecologically friendly industry in this lovely land.”Forbes and his team at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources are taking a two-pronged approach to aquaculture.One part involves aquaculture in freshwater; the other in seawater.The inland freshwater aquaculture ventures are aimed at poverty alleviation, creation of employment and empowering of women in the work force.This ‘prong’ is aimed solely at local consumption.For some parts of Namibia, aquaculture is foreign – not only because it has never been done in Namibia – but because some cultures have never eaten fish.”A great deal of ground has to be covered explaining the benefits and possibly pitfalls of aquaculture, particularly in some cultures to whom fish-eating is alien,” says Forbes.The second ‘prong’ is aquaculture in seawater, which is much more developed and involves the culture of some of the finest oysters in the world for the export market.At present, oysters from Namibia are exported to China, South Africa and Germany.There is already growing interest from Singapore, Thailand and elsewhere in South-East Asia.The CFTC project with Forbes was set to be completed this year, but it has been extended until 2008.”We are very proud of the strong partnership that has been established between the Government of Namibia and the Commonwealth Secretariat,” said Janet Kathyola of the Governance and Institutional Development Division at the Secretariat.”We are confident that successful completion of the aquaculture project will not only positively contribute to the nutritional status of the people of Namibia, but also enhance the income of farmers and increase the foreign exchange earnings of the country.”Forbes and his team now want to make the foray into increasing Namibia’s shrimp production.The country is too cold for normal shrimp production, but Dr Forbes is looking at other methodologies such as greenhouse culture, which has been successful in Israel, Turkey and the United States.The CFTC aquaculture project particularly fits into the theme of this year’s Commonwealth Day theme: ‘Health and Vitality – The Commonwealth Challenge’.One of the most rewarding experiences for Dr Forbes came when he visited some of the local villages and co-operative farms in the north of the country.”To witness first hand what was once barren land on the Okavango and Zambezi rivers now yielding a healthy harvest of tilapia was so rewarding.It’s a much-needed protein addition to local diets,” he said.OTHER PROJECTS The Commonwealth Secretariat is supporting the University of Namibia with another CFTC expert to develop the capacity of the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre in Henties Bay.The project, which started in 2002, is concerned with expanding the aquaculture sector in Namibia through appropriate mariculture research, technology and infrastructure for holding and propagating commercially viable species.Namibia has been an active member of the Commonwealth-led ADEA Working Group on the Teaching Profession to which it has contributed greatly but also benefited from in terms of support to the teaching profession – training and provision of training materials.Nearly 400 Namibians have been trained by Commonwealth initiatives in the last five years.Recently, 60 small-scale miners were assisted in establishing their own cottage industries for cutting and polishing gemstones.Staff from the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Namibia and National Planning Commission have been trained to use the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Debt Recording and Management System (CS-DRMS).The software was first created in 1985 and has been regularly updated.CS-DRMS is now considered a model of best practice in debt management and is used in 44 Commonwealth countries and 12 non-Commonwealth countries.The programme will assist the government in collating debt information in a central repository.- Compiled by Robin Bresnahan, Commonwealth Office”Shrimp production is gaining momentum around the world,” says Forbes.”We have some very big players who are looking at Namibia to invest.”Since 2004, Dr Forbes has worked in Namibia’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources under the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC).The fund assists member countries with development projects at the request of their governments.In 2002, the Namibian Government approached the Commonwealth Secretariat for assistance to create an aquaculture industry in the country.Aquaculture is the science, art, and business of cultivating marine or freshwater food fish or shellfish, such as oysters, clams, salmon, and trout, under controlled conditions.Though Namibia’s fishing industry was booming, an aquaculture sector was non-existent.In stepped Dr Forbes.Originally from Scotland, Forbes went to Australia in 1994 where he was awarded citizenship for work he did on shrimp viruses that were prevalent at the time.His past experience setting up aquacultures in China, Thailand, Seychelles, Philippines, Australia, Bangladesh, Fiji Islands and Tanzania made him the perfect candidate for the CFTC project in Namibia.”Namibia is an ideal country in which to introduce aquaculture,” says Forbes.”It is unspoiled and learning from the mistakes of others.We can establish a strong, viable, sustainable and ecologically friendly industry in this lovely land.”Forbes and his team at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources are taking a two-pronged approach to aquaculture.One part involves aquaculture in freshwater; the other in seawater.The inland freshwater aquaculture ventures are aimed at poverty alleviation, creation of employment and empowering of women in the work force.This ‘prong’ is aimed solely at local consumption.For some parts of Namibia, aquaculture is foreign – not only because it has never been done in Namibia – but because some cultures have never eaten fish.”A great deal of ground has to be covered explaining the benefits and possibly pitfalls of aquaculture, particularly in some cultures to whom fish-eating is alien,” says Forbes.The second ‘prong’ is aquaculture in seawater, which is much more developed and involves the culture of some of the finest oysters in the world for the export market.At present, oysters from Namibia are exported to China, South Africa and Germany.There is already growing interest from Singapore, Thailand and elsewhere in South-East Asia.The CFTC project with Forbes was set to be completed this year, but it has been extended until 2008.”We are very proud of the strong partnership that has been established between the Government of Namibia and the Commonwealth Secretariat,” said Janet Kathyola of the Governance and Institutional Development Division at the Secretariat.”We are confident that successful completion of the aquaculture project will not only positively contribute to the nutritional status of the people of Namibia, but also enhance the income of farmers and increase the foreign exchange earnings of the country.”Forbes and his team now want to make the foray into increasing Namibia’s shrimp production.The country is too cold for normal shrimp production, but Dr Forbes is looking at other methodologies such as greenhouse culture, which has been successful in Israel, Turkey and the United States.The CFTC aquaculture project particularly fits into the theme of this year’s Commonwealth Day theme: ‘Health and Vitality – The Commonwealth Challenge’.One of the most rewarding experiences for Dr Forbes came when he visited some of the local villages and co-operative farms in the north of the country.”To witness first hand what was once barren land on the Okavango and Zambezi rivers now yielding a healthy harvest of tilapia was so rewarding.It’s a much-needed protein addition to local diets,” he said. OTHER PROJECTS The Commonwealth Secretariat is supporting the University of Namibia with another CFTC expert to develop the capacity of the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre in Henties Bay.The project, which started in 2002, is concerned with expanding the aquaculture sector in Namibia through appropriate mariculture research, technology and infrastructure for holding and propagating commercially viable species.Namibia has been an active member of the Commonwealth-led ADEA Working Group on the Teaching Profession to which it has contributed greatly but also benefited from in terms of support to the teaching profession – training and provision of training materials.Nearly 400 Namibians have been trained by Commonwealth initiatives in the last five years.Recently, 60 small-scale miners were assisted in establishing their own cottage industries for cutting and polishing gemstones.Staff from the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Namibia and National Planning Commission have been trained to use the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Debt Recording and Management System (CS-DRMS).The software was first created in 1985 and has been regularly updated.CS-DRMS is now considered a model of best practice in debt management and is used in 44 Commonwealth countries and 12 non-Commonwealth countries.The programme will assist the government in collating debt information in a central repository.- Compiled by Robin Bresnahan, Commonwealth Office

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