Namibia’s Fisheries Minister Albert Kawana has announced that the country will auction off its fishing quotas on an open market to raise funds to fight Covid-19.
The government intends to auction off quotas for three fish species – horse markerel, hake and monk.
The minister cited the need for medicine and medical equipment as the reason the government wanted to raise money.
Fishing is Namibia’s third-biggest earner after mining and agriculture, Reuters reports, adding that the proposed auction would be the first of its kind in the country.
A local radio station has however reported that the health minister was surprised by the reason given to sell the fishing quotas:
