Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Namibia

STOP: Minister Indileni Daniel has called for an end to illegal sand and gravel mining across Namibia. In a statement released this week, Minister Daniel expressed concern over the increasing illegal sand and gravel mining activities across the country, which are undertaken without the required environmental clearance certificates as outlined under the Environmental Management Act.

She called upon individuals and businesses to desist from illegal sand and gravel mining and to comply with existing environmental laws as unregulated and irresponsible sand and gravel mining activities pose a danger to the environment, wildlife and people.

OPPORTUNITY: The Ohungu Conservancy, with assistance by the Ministry, calls for proposals from potential bidders to redevelop the Ohungu Community Lodge.

TOURISM SAFETY: The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and the Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security jointly underscored the government’s commitment to tourism safety in Namibia following recent international concerns.

The two ministries, in consultation with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation-Namibia, reassured the international community that Namibia remains a peaceful country with good governance, functional institutions and respect for the rule of law.

“Namibia remains open ond welcoming to tourists and visitors,” the statement reads, which follows recent travel advisories issued by Canada and Germany portraying Namibia as an unsafe destination.

ROAD CLOSURE: The Ministry wishes to alert tourists and visitors to the Etosha National Park of the temporary closure of certain roads at Okaukuejo and Ombika due to the above-normal rainfall received over the past days. See the specified roads in the attached notice.

INSPECTION: Minister Indileni Daniel this week inspected sections of the Etosha National Park boundary fence reconstruction. The park’s fence plays a key role in curbing human-wildlife conflict, wildlife crime and strengthening national conservation efforts. To date, the fencing project has covered 6.4km of the 180.4km stretch to be completed under the project, with plans to fence off the entire park by 2030. Etosha is one of Namibia’s largest national parks with the total fence length of 824 kilometres. The fencing is being done by MEFT with assistance from community members from neighbouring conservancies and other stakeholders.

In addition, she visited NWR establishments in Etosha National Park shortly before Christmas to familiarise herself with operations and gain insight into challenges facing the facilities. She visited Onkoshi Camp, which employs about 25 people, and Namutoni Resort.

Minister Daniel encouraged the resorts to maintain high standards of hygiene, fire safety and customer service. Onkoshi Camp Acting Manager Simaneka Negumbo highlighted bad roads as their biggest challenge and asked for the Ministry’s intervention to grade the gravel roads regularly.

THANK YOU: As the 2025 Festive Season Environmental Awareness Campaign draws to a close, MEFT Minister Indileni Daniel extends her gratitude to all regional Governors, traditional and local authority leaders, sponsors, stakeholders, communities and the media for their participation and diverse contributions to the successful implementation of the campaign so far.

Minister Daniel emphasises that keeping Namibia clean is a shared responsibility that should continue beyond the campaign period. The campaign commenced on 3 December and is scheduled to conclude on 23 December 2025, covering several regions across the country.

CLEAN UP: As the implementation of the Festive Season Environmental Awareness Campaign continues across the country, Kunene’s regional capital, Opuwo, was the latest stop. MEFT, MICT and EIF Namibia officials engaged motorists and residents on responsible waste disposal practices.

Bags were distributed to motorists to discourage littering and to encourage proper waste management along the roads leading into and around Opuwo. At the same time, outreach activities took place within the town, where officials engaged community members on key environmental messages and held clean-up activities in selected areas.

The campaign continues to call on all residents and travellers to play their part in keeping towns, roads, and public spaces clean this festive season, reinforcing the shared responsibility of protecting the environment for present and future generations.

CONVENTION BUREAU: Minister Indileni Daniel officially launched the Namibia Convention Bureau in Windhoek on Tuesday morning, with participation from NIPDB, MICT, MHAISS, NTB and private sector stakeholders.

The establishment of the convention bureau was approved by the Cabinet in 2023 to diversify Namibia’s tourism industry by promoting the country as a leading business tourism destination and attraction. During the launch, Minister Daniel said the Bureau represents deliberate policy choices to rebuild the tourism sector after COVID-19, diversify the country’s tourism offerings and position Namibia as a competitive player in the global meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions fraternity.

The Bureau supports the 2025-2035 National Spatial Tourism Master Plan and the government’s employment creation agenda as outlined in the NDP6 to create 500,000 jobs in key sectors. This year Namibia hosted 22 business events and meetings contributing over N$23 million to the country’s economy with each event creating over 20 direct jobs and about 40 indirect jobs.

WASTE DISPOSAL: Some officials from MEFT, MICT and EIF Namibia handed out plastic bags to motorists at the Oshivelo Road Traffic Checkpoint on Friday and Saturday to discourage passengers from throwing waste out of vehicle windows and promote responsible waste disposal on the road. They were joined by Oshikoto Regional Governor Sacky Kathindi to reinforce the call for cleaner and safer communities this festive season.

Other officials were at Omuthiya picking up waste within the town’s surroundings while spreading the Festive Season Environmental Awareness Campaign messages with the community.

CLARIFICATION: The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism clarified that the Sossusvlei shuttle concession does not restrict self-drive visitors and NTB-registered tour operators and lodges from accessing Sossusvlei at no cost.

The clarification follows a slew of concerns from tourism industry players, the public and the media about the Sossusvlei concession operations.

“The Ministry, in line with its Press Release issued on 5 September 2024, reassures all stakeholders, including the media and the public, that the concession does not stop other operators from conducting business at Sossusvlei, except for unregistered operators, vehicles that are damaging to the environment, such as buses and trucks, as well as unsuitable 2x4s,” reads the statement.

In a media release issued on Saturday, the Ministry reiterated its commitment to promoting tourism development and sustainable natural resources management.