WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) has organised a two-day ‘knowledge fair’ to bring together climate change practitioners to share and exchange practices across different sectors.
An invitation issued today said the event will take place as from Thursday this week, and informative exhibition stands from various organisations will illustrate how climate change is being tackled in Namibia.
‘The fair aims to stimulate and facilitate the exchange of knowledge across different sectors in Namibia and to advance cross-sectoral interaction, cross-practice learning and collaboration,’ it noted.
Environmental Commissioner in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Theo Nghitila, will discuss the National Policy on Climate Change for Namibia during the knowledge fair.
On climate change adaptation, deliberations will include ‘community-based adaptation in Namibia; the status of disaster risk management in Namibia; water supply and demand; e-learning and mushroom production’.
The event, which ends Friday, will take place at the Habitat Research and Development Centre (HRDC) in Katutura.
Namibia’s livestock and meat industry has very good potential for economic growth and employment-creation.
World Bank official Stephane Forman made this observation during a one-day World Bank seminar regarding ‘Policy Notes on Growth and Employment in Namibia’, organised by the National Planning Commission (NPC), today.
Forman said the potential exists in the livestock and meat industry, but the country should start promoting small, private sector development in the livestock sector, while adopting a progressive approach towards controlling animal diseases; controlling and eradicating bush encroachment, and marketing bush by-products such as fuel and charcoal, which will make debushing more attractive for farmers.
‘Additional growth remains feasible in the cattle sector, especially in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs), pulled by some promising markets,’ he said.
Forman noted that job-creation appears more challenging in the southern parts of the country, while opportunities exist in the NCA, both at production level (feed-lotting) and processing and marketing.