Project Description
ERONGO MARINE ENTERPRISES
AN OCEANA GROUP COMPANY
Erongo Marine Enterprises is part of the Oceana Group, the largest fishing company in Africa with dual listing on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange and the Namibian Stock Exchange and is the biggest employer in the Namibian horse mackerel industry.
The company operates through joint ventures with key empowerment partners in Namibia and is a shareholder of three quota holding companies of which all are Namibian registered entities. These include Arechanab Fishing and Development Company, Erongo Seafoods and Cerocic Fishing. The focus of business for Erongo Marine Enterprises is the management of human resources, finance, administration, marketing and the socio economic side of the group.
The company has invested substantial funds through capital and working capital investment and sees itself as a long term investor in the fishing industry. It is therefore committed to following full compliance with all applicable regulations and the responsible utilization of Namibia’s marine resources and thus economic development of the country.
Our Products
Erongo Marine Enterprises supplies sea-frozen whole-round Horse Mackerel packed in 30kg cartons (3 x 10kg blocks) and steam dried fishmeal to local and international markets. We also supply 10kg cartons packed at our Onshore Processing Plant.
Our Vessels
The company operates two Namibian flagged, mid-water trawlers with a combined annual catch of approximately 60,000 tons.
We Care
Driven by the motto “empower, equip and transform”, we continually strive to convert our fishing rights into human rights that create shared value. To us people matter, internally and externally. We therefore invest in inclusive, sustainable and empowering community programmes which positively impact the lives of local communities throughout Namibia.
We are also proud of the fact that we were one of the first Namibian companies to introduce broad-based empowerment for all our Namibian permanent employees with the establishment of the Erongo Marine Harambee Workers Trust.
Harambee Workers Trust
- In the spirit of transformation of Namibia’s fishing industry, Erongo Marine Enterprises made history in 2017 by becoming one of the first fishing companies to introduce integrated broad-based equity participation in its operations through a Workers’ Trust.
- All permanent workers benefit directly through dividends paid by the Trust, aptly named the Erongo Marine Harambee Workers Trust under the theme “empower, equip and transform”.
- The share scheme provides for direct ownership and economic empowerment of the company’s permanent employees through a 15% percentage shareholding in the Arechanab Fishing and Development Company, a quota holding company in which Erongo Marine is a shareholder.
- Dividends paid through the Trust are distributed equally among permanent workers and is exclusively for workers. It excludes top management. Employees serve as trustees, which means workers are not only involved in the economic activity of the company, but also its management.
- Through the Trust employees are also empowered through financial literacy training.
- “This forms part of our strategy to fully align the company with Vision 2030, the National Development Plans, the proposed New Equitable Economic Empowerment Framework (NEEEF) and The Harambee Prosperity Plan to ensure that all of our workers are included in the benefits gained through our operations.”
Transforming lives
As a good corporate citizen, Erongo Marine Enterprises plays an active role in the drive towards poverty eradication, food security, and the upliftment of previously disadvantaged groups through its Arechanab Community Trust.
Erongo Marine Enterprises led the way with local value addition in the local Horse Mackerel market through a partnership with its sister company, Etosha Fishing, by becoming one of the first Namibian companies to can horse mackerel under the “EFUTA Maasbanker” brand as early as 2013. The product is readily available in retail shops across the country today.
In terms of sponsorships, Erongo Marine Enterprises has donated over N$ 35 million during the past 7 years to various social and economic upliftment projects. The company strives to be the leader in the continued growth of all aspects of Namibian society, and its social and economic responsibility is actively embraced.
Fish-4-Business
The Fish-4-Business project was conceived in 2015 as a means of supporting small business entrepreneurship in rural Namibia through empowerment and skills development. Existing small shop owners in rural Namibia were given the opportunity to grow their businesses whilst creating and sustaining jobs through the promotion of local fish consumption.
The total investment by Erongo Marine per shop included a walk-in cold storage unit erected on-site, in-store display fridges, improvements to the shop including a fresh paint job and branding, as well as a start-up “capital investment” in the form of frozen horse mackerel for resell by the shop owner. In addition to this, each shop owner was given the opportunity to formal and specialised SME business skills training.
Project objectives:
- Contribute to increased food security in Namibia’s rural communities
- Contribute to poverty alleviation through sustainable small business development in Namibia’s rural communities
- Skills development of rural small business owners through formal training
- Promotion and increased consumption of local fish and fish products across Namibia
After the launch of the first shop in 2015, six additional Fish Shops were established across the country through the Fish-4-Business Challenge in 2016. Since then fish shop owners have taken the initiate to empower themselves and have established further satellite shops.
