MINES and energy minister Tom Alweendo said international relations and cooperation are important to the scope of work for geoscientists. He said this is because geology does need any borders or political boundaries.
Speaking at the 20th Anniversary of the University of Namibia (Unam)’s Geology department last Thursday, the minister said the list of geoscience’s significance to present and future generations is endless.
“In line with the African Mining Vision, the government is ensuring that the exploration and mining investment climate remains conducive to attract investors to come and explore, mine and add value to our resources beyond the mine gate. However, the government is concerned with the continuous export of natural resources without adding value,” he said.
He added that government’s efforts to ensure maximum benefits of Namibian minerals should not deter potential investors from investing in the country.
The minister stressed that local inclusivity is one of the country’s goals and so the sustainability of the exploration and exploitation practices will need the geoscientists with the understanding of the Namibian geo-environment.
“I therefore believe the Unam geology department has worked tirelessly to ensure the basic needs of qualified geoscientists in the country are met. It is envisioned that by the year 2030 Namibia is transformed into a knowledge-based society, attained economic growth, with enough human capital investment and skilled labour. The University of Namibia is entrusted to develop human resources capable of creating and driving public and private institutions towards a knowledge-based economy and economic growth,” the minister said.
He added that some, if not most, of the geoscientists employed by the Ministry of Mines and Energy are products of the Unam’s geology department, “I am also informed that the current deputy permanent secretary of the Geological Survey of Namibia is one of the first geology graduates that Unam’s geology department produced since its establishment 20 years ago. I wish to congratulate the lecturers at the department of geology for their commitment. You faced many challenges over the period of time and yet you have persevered to this day. I understand 20 years is not significant because the geological time-scale talks about million years. I wonder what kind of magic the geoscientists use to reveal events that occurred long before human beings were in existence! But that’s a debate of another day.”
Alweendo added that the geoscience profession is playing a major role in local economic development because all other economic sectors depend mainly on the understanding of the geo-environment and the available natural resources.
“Geosciences drive the development of minerals, oil and gas resources by pioneering innovation, and thereby enabling these resources to be explored in a safe manner and at profitable prices.
The nation is working towards industrialisation by 2030 but this cannot be achieved if we do not know the quantity and quality of the available raw materials required for the various industries. Namibia is an arid to semi-arid country where we depend mainly on groundwater for our livelihood. It is only through geosciences that we can ascertain the availability and sustainability of groundwater resources,” Alweendo added.
