Namibians are called on to take action against corruption, if they want equitable beneficiation of the country's natural resources, particularly in the extraction industry. 

The Director of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Graham Hopwood, spoke at a workshop, aimed to investigate the possibilities of formulating the non-state actors' position, on transparency and accountability of extractive industries in Namibia. in view of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Speakers at the event concurred with each other that the introduction of the green hydrogen project in Namibia and the discoveries of other natural resources have made the role of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, even more important, as corruption and mismanagement of resources are likely to prevail in countries with a prevalence of natural resources.
 

Hopwood pointed out that Namibia is rich in natural resources, including diamonds, copper, uranium, and gold, but is still trapped in an unequal economic development model that reflects persistently high levels of inequality.
 

The workshop aims to empower non-state actors to hold the government accountable for managing natural resources and to establish a joint position of non-state actors on extractive industries operations in Namibia. 
 

Namibians have not yet recognized the relevance of joining the EITI, and the workshop aims to put pressure on the government to become a member.
 

The Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress of Namibia, Mahongora Kavihuha, emphasized that inequality is revealed in unequal access to productive resources, particularly wealth ownership and the beneficiation of these resources.

The EITI is an international standard for improving transparency in countries' extractive sectors.

The workshop was organized by the Trade Union Congress of Namibia in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung,