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The meeting point between Namibia’s hot desert sands and the ocean’s cold waters, also known as the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, harbours rich biodiversity and some of the most abundant marine life in the world.
The services of this valuable ecosystem, which stretches from South Africa, along Namibia’s coastline, into Angola, are worth an estimated US$2,2 billion annually and support about 75,000 jobs (2006). But it is highly vulnerable to human activities such as fishing, marine transport, mining, and pollution.
Since the Benguela Current is a shared resource between Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, conventional coastal and ocean management approaches are not enough. UNDP, through a series of projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has been assisting the three countries in jointly managing the precious ocean resources they share.
“ We discussed and agreed [on] management instruments. For example, between Namibia and Angola, they started negotiating a joint … plan to manage a shared stock, which is socio-economically important to both countries. In South Africa, we supported the development of an ocean’s policy, which integrates all sectors and …brings them all under one framework,” Nico Willemse, Head of Energy and Environment, UNDP in Namibia.
The project helped bring the three governments together to examine the ecologic, socio-economic and governance issues across key sectors such as fishing, tourism and oil and gas [extraction]. The countries agreed on and signed a mutual strategy that reflects this integrated approach.
“If you’re not caring about the environment, the fishing industry will collapse. We’re all neighbouring countries, and we have a common goal. The aim is to really have a long term vision in thinking about tomorrow and not only about today,” Matti Amukwa, Namibian Hake Association.
To ensure sustainable fisheries, policies and regulations include measures such as suspending fishing to let stocks replenish, marine parks for threatened species and habitats, and oil spill contingency plans.
By working together, Angola, Namibia, and South Africa are taking critical steps to ensure the long-term future of their shared ocean-based economies and societies. “It’s very important for us to have a long-term business. If we overfish like they have done in many places during the last 20 years, then we don’t have a business the day after tomorrow,” Tomas Kjelgaard, Managing Director, Melrus Seafood Processors.
Remedying decades of fragmented management and over-exploitation of resources in the Benguela ecosystem requires co-ordinated effort and consistent action in the years ahead; not only by the three government agencies, but also by local stakeholders and the international community.
Community and private sector participation is key to ensure the Benguela marine ecosystem continues to support the people of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa far into the future.
© 2026 United Nations Development Programme
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