Namibia's Mining Sector Faces Environmental Monitoring Challenges

Namibia’s ability to monitor environmental compliance in the mining sector remains a concern, with the Environment Ministry`s Environmental Commissioner, Timoteus Mufeti saying limited government capacity makes it difficult for authorities to conduct independent environmental audits.

Mufeti made the remarks during public consultations on the Environmental Management Bill and Draft Gravel Mining Regulations at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management ( NIPAM) in Windhoek on Friday.

The issue is important for Namibia’s mining industry, where environmental compliance is part of responsible resource development and the management of extraction activities.

Mufeti said mining companies seeking to extract a different mineral under a renewed license must undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as the environmental effects may differ depending on the resource being mined.

“The audit reports themselves are not new,” Mufeti said.

He explained that developers submit environmental audit reports, while the government lacks sufficient capacity to conduct its own audits and independently monitor compliance.

Mufeti added that the proposed Environmental Management Amendment Draft Bill did not address the capacity constraints affecting the government’s ability to carry out this monitoring.

Namibia’s Sand and Gravel Extraction Regulations, 2021, set out several obligations for businesses involved in commercial extraction. These include obtaining environmental clearance, keeping records of extracted volumes and transport vehicles, and ensuring extraction sites are restored and rehabilitated.

The regulations also provide for inspections of extraction sites and require records of loading activities, including the quantities of sand removed and details of the vehicles transporting it. These measures are relevant to businesses supplying sand and gravel to the construction sector, where extraction activities must comply with environmental requirements.

The regulations further provide for traditional authorities to collect levies on commercial sand extraction. Fifteen per cent of the levy paid to a traditional authority must be transferred to the relevant land-right or lease holder.

The Environmental Management Amendment Draft Bill, dated February 2021, proposes several changes to the Environmental Management Act, including provisions relating to compliance audits, environmental assessments and the management of sand and gravel mining. However, its current legislative status should be confirmed before any proposed amendments are presented as law.

Mufeti’s comments highlight the difference between establishing environmental requirements and ensuring that authorities have the capacity to monitor whether businesses comply with them.

For Namibia’s mining industry, effective oversight is important to ensuring that mineral resources are developed responsibly and that environmental obligations are monitored alongside commercial extraction activities.