Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

SUMMARY OF PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSIONS ON THE STATUS REPORT
ON THE DATA AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF NAMIBIA’S OFFSHORE
MINING POLICY AS IT RELATES TO PROSPECTING AND EXPLORATION
INFORMATION AND DATA REQUIREMENTS DURING PROSPECTING AND
EXPLORATION AND DEGREES OF COMPLIANCE
Presentation
Ms. Inge Zaamwani, Managing Director of Namdeb Diamond
Corporation of Namibia, and a member of the Authority’s Legal and
Technical Commission noted at the beginning of her presentation that like
Papua New Guinea, under Namibian legislation, there is no distinction made
between onshore and offshore mining operations. She said that the regime for
onshore mining applies to offshore mining, creating problems for offshore
operators because of its lack of flexibility. She also said that despite the
introduction to Namibia by Ian Corbett she would provide a brief background
on the country. In this regard, she stated that she often got asked whether
Namibia is in Arizona in the USA. She said that her presentation would
consist of a background on Namibia, including information on its location,
population and the various minerals that are mined there, and Government
policy for the minerals sector.
With the use of slides, Ms Zaamwani illustrated Namibia’s location in
relation to other African countries. She said that Namibia is located on the
Southwestern coast of Africa, bordering South Africa to the south, Angola to
the north, and Botswana to the east. She said that most of the onshore
diamond mining operations are carried out in an area called “Diamond Area
no. I.” She informed participants that from the day that diamonds were first
discovered in Namibia (when Namibia was a colony of Germany) until now,
this area has been declared a "no-go" area, or a prohibited and restricted area.
She indicated that extending down the coast to the mouth of the Orange
River, there are other offshore activities.
Ms. Zaamwani informed participants that the capital city of Namibia is
Windhoek with a population of about 270,000 people. She said that the
Government of Namibia subscribes to free market economic policies, and that
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 773