NAMIBIA’S port authority, Namport, has ignited controversy with its proposal for a port expansion on Shark Island, a heritage site deeply revered by the indigenous Nama ethnic group in southern Namibia. The expansion aims to facilitate green hydrogen production and export to European markets by German energy company Hyphen, but it has stirred concerns among locals about neocolonial exploitation of African resources.
Sima Luipert, a community activist and member of the Nama Leaders Association of Namibia, emphasised the island’s historical and cultural significance to the Nama and Ovaherero people. ‘Shark Island has got historical meaning to the Nama and the Ovaherero people, and it should have the same historical meaning and heritage meaning for the entire Namibia and for the world,’ Luipert told VOA, highlighting the island’s tragic past as a site of genocide perpetrated by German authorities in the early 1900s.
Luipert stressed the importance of protecting Shark Island, stating, ‘This is where genocide took place; this is where genocide was executed.’
Hans-Christian Mahnke from Namibia’s Legal Assistance Centre echoed these sentiments, noting that Namibian laws require developers to conduct environmental impact assessments in consultation with local communities. Mahnke emphasised the Nama community’s right to reject developments that may violate their rights. ‘Due to the increased capacity needs of the port in the make of the green hydrogen development then that Shark Island and the dignity of people are affected and linked to the drive by among others, the German government, to get cheaper cleaner energy also from Namibia,’ said Mahnke.
Namport’s executive for port engineering, Elezier Gelderbloem, addressed concerns raised by the Nama Traditional Leaders Association regarding the port expansion. Speaking at a conference for Namibia’s emerging oil and gas industry in Luderitz, Gelderbloem said, ‘We are employing experts, environmental experts, archaeologists, marine archaeologists and they are investigating this to determine exactly what impacts we might have.’
He stressed the importance of conducting thorough studies to identify potential impacts and implementing mitigating measures accordingly. ‘So, we cannot answer yet whether we will have impacts. So, the EIA or the studies which we do will identify if there are impacts and if there are impacts it will also indicate what mitigating measures can we employ to reduce such impacts,’ Gelderbloem added.
Namibia’s abundant sunlight and access to the sea have positioned it as a potential hub for green hydrogen production, with developers citing the country’s suitability for generating clean energy and its by-products. However, as discussions surrounding the Shark Island port expansion continue, the project remains ensnared in debates over indigenous rights, historical preservation, and environmental conservation.