By: Kandjengo kaMkwaanyoka

 

Do Namibians really gain any tangible benefits from relinquishing ownership of our natural resources and other properties to so-called foreign investors?

Or are we trading our natural resources for jobs and meagre taxes?

These questions have been bothering me, especially in the aftermath of the selling of the Erindi Game Reserves to a questionable billionaire from Mexico.

Our leaders must be able to tell us about the actual benefits of relinquishing control of our mining sector and other resources.

Let’s be brutally honest with ourselves and ponder on the real gains we achieve from welcoming Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Don’t throw the employment card at me because that’s just an exchange between two entities – effort or skill in return for wages.

And if you argue that employment and taxes are all we desire as a country, let me ask you this: now that B2Gold has depleted its reserves, what do we have to show for it?

NAMDEB was ready to leave Oranjemund – are we satisfied with the changes brought to the town by diamond reserves?

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