The uranium question: Namibia must think beyond the mine

Namibia has spent decades digging one of the world’s most strategic minerals out of its soil, shipping it overseas and then buying back electricity generated from resources that, in many cases, began their journey beneath our own feet.

It is an economic paradox that has persisted for far too long. The proposed Nuclear Bill is, therefore, more than a legislative exercise. It is an attempt to rewrite Namibia’s place in the global energy value chain, shifting the country from being merely a supplier of uranium to becoming a nation capable of using its own strategic resource to power industrialisation.

That ambition deserves serious consideration.

Government’s proposal to replace the outdated Atomic Energy and Radiation Protection Act of 2005 reflects the reality that the global nuclear landscape has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Nuclear energy today is no longer simply about power generation. It encompasses fuel processing, waste management, radiation protection, scientific research, security, emergency preparedness and international safeguards. Namibia cannot continue regulating tomorrow’s technology with yesterday’s legislation.

Equally significant is the proposal to establish three specialised institutions, a Nuclear Commission of Namibia, a Nuclear Institute of Namibia and an independent Radiation and Nuclear Regulatory Authority. These are not bureaucratic luxuries. They are fundamental pillars of any credible nuclear programme. International experience demonstrates that policy, research and regulation must remain institutionally separate if transparency, accountability and public confidence are to be maintained.