Walvis port not for sale
Namport is not aware of a decision or process to sell off the Port of Walvis Bay to any investors, the authority said.
OTIS FINCK
WALVIS BAY
The ownership of the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) and the Port of Walvis Bay is vested solely in the Namibian government, and Namport’s management is not aware of any decision or process to sell off the port to any investors, CEO Andrew Kanime says.
He was responding to communication circulating on social media suggesting that the port is up for sale.
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Dr Panduleni Itula raised what he termed “a grave concern” for the alleged sale with President Hage Geingob in a letter dated 20 April.
Itula said the IPC - with its overwhelming mandate in Walvis Bay and the Erongo Region - would not watch the devastating destruction of resources and assets by unpatriotic corrupt individuals whose only interest is their own bellies.
“It goes beyond reason that anyone could even contemplate selling our economic hub which generates some N$1 billion to our national coffers,” he said.
Itula also called on Geingob to address the conduct of the minister of international relations and cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwa, in relation to a visit to the United Arab Emirates where the deal was allegedly struck.
No relationship
Kanime urged Namport employees not to panic but to rather direct their efforts towards realising the strategic imperatives of governance, performance and sustainability at the authority.
He also emphasised that here is no relationship whatsoever between Namport and global trade enabler DP World.
“Whatever you’ve read or seen in the media we’ve also seen,” he said.
DP World’s flagship development, Jebel Ali Port, is the largest container port between Rotterdam and Singapore and the 11th largest container port in the world, with an annual capacity of 19.3 million TEU.
The company, with a network of more than 150 operations in 46 countries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Namibia’s Nara Namib Free Economic Industrial Zone in 2019 to develop a free economic zone for industry and logistics in Walvis Bay to support the growth of Namibia as a regional hub for southern Africa.
Concession
Kanime explained that it is a worldwide trend generally to concession container terminals and added that it has been historically proven that where terminals are being run through a concession, there might be benefits that derive from such operations.
“This does not necessarily mean privatising the offshore container terminal facility. We are referring to a public-private partnership [PPP]. Privatisation means 100% ownership of an asset by the private sector. We are, however, looking at a smart partnership between the public and private sector.”
“If and when we get there, we will definitely provide correct information,” he added.
Kanime assured that whatever arrangements are reached will accommodate the best interest of Namport and Namibia as a nation.
“We will not compromise and definitely want a win-win arrangement,” he said.
WALVIS BAY
The ownership of the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) and the Port of Walvis Bay is vested solely in the Namibian government, and Namport’s management is not aware of any decision or process to sell off the port to any investors, CEO Andrew Kanime says.
He was responding to communication circulating on social media suggesting that the port is up for sale.
Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) president Dr Panduleni Itula raised what he termed “a grave concern” for the alleged sale with President Hage Geingob in a letter dated 20 April.
Itula said the IPC - with its overwhelming mandate in Walvis Bay and the Erongo Region - would not watch the devastating destruction of resources and assets by unpatriotic corrupt individuals whose only interest is their own bellies.
“It goes beyond reason that anyone could even contemplate selling our economic hub which generates some N$1 billion to our national coffers,” he said.
Itula also called on Geingob to address the conduct of the minister of international relations and cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwa, in relation to a visit to the United Arab Emirates where the deal was allegedly struck.
No relationship
Kanime urged Namport employees not to panic but to rather direct their efforts towards realising the strategic imperatives of governance, performance and sustainability at the authority.
He also emphasised that here is no relationship whatsoever between Namport and global trade enabler DP World.
“Whatever you’ve read or seen in the media we’ve also seen,” he said.
DP World’s flagship development, Jebel Ali Port, is the largest container port between Rotterdam and Singapore and the 11th largest container port in the world, with an annual capacity of 19.3 million TEU.
The company, with a network of more than 150 operations in 46 countries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Namibia’s Nara Namib Free Economic Industrial Zone in 2019 to develop a free economic zone for industry and logistics in Walvis Bay to support the growth of Namibia as a regional hub for southern Africa.
Concession
Kanime explained that it is a worldwide trend generally to concession container terminals and added that it has been historically proven that where terminals are being run through a concession, there might be benefits that derive from such operations.
“This does not necessarily mean privatising the offshore container terminal facility. We are referring to a public-private partnership [PPP]. Privatisation means 100% ownership of an asset by the private sector. We are, however, looking at a smart partnership between the public and private sector.”
“If and when we get there, we will definitely provide correct information,” he added.
Kanime assured that whatever arrangements are reached will accommodate the best interest of Namport and Namibia as a nation.
“We will not compromise and definitely want a win-win arrangement,” he said.
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