Welcome to the sixth Namibian Mining Expo

Here, in the heart of our capital we are gathered to celebrate mining in Namibia, to reflect with pride on the tremendous achievements we have accomplished over the years, to appreciate the intense effort, commitment and investment we put into mining in this country, and to dream.

We are here to imagine what mining will be like in Namibia in the future. Nevertheless, ours are not just daydreams, or pipe dreams, nor are they wishful thinking or delusions of grandeur. That's not how we mine in Namibia.

This harsh land of beauty and contrast does not tolerate fools, neither does the land of the brave respect the weak of heart or the easily dismayed.

Here, the undaunted survive, the resolute visionaries thrive. This is where boundaries are pushed, where mountains are moved and the ancient elemental gods are made to hand over their most treasured resources.

Diamonds! Gold! These are not treasures easily won.

Uranium, atomic element 92, which houses the very power of the sun, is taken from beneath the oldest desert in the world.

Copper, zinc, lead, even cement and salt, fluorspar and graphite, even rare earths are to be had here, for those who know how to take it.

After more than 100, we have that know-how.

We boast world-leading technologies that bring us sparkling diamonds from the bottom of the ocean.

We can reinvent ourselves to stretch life-of-mine beyond previously conceived limits.

We can find success where others see only desolation.

All this, because we know the dark side of mining. We know the depths a man or a woman needs to go to.

We have experienced the hideous realities of it.

We know when the walls are closing in, or when the sun is beating down with no shade for kilometres except where the shadow of the pit wall falls. And one such hideous reality is the little the miner gets of the actual value of the resource he or she is freeing from the very clutches of the earth.

Can anyone even name the man who found the first diamond in Namibia? He is also forgotten by the Namibian mining population whose families feel the brunt of the global commodity price crunch directly.

We all know the impact of the world's financial crises, but my experts say here in Namibia, mining has bucked the storm better than most.

Our miners are tough.

We are resilient and we are tenacious. Also, we know the secret.

It is partnership. Which brings us nicely to the theme of this year's Expo: “Reaping the benefits of mining investments”.

Those benefits come from partnership, and reaping those benefits is done in partnership. People work together, and for the benefit of all.

Government, big business, mine operators and miners come together to make it all possible.

Even a party is an exercise in collaboration.

We welcome you to the party, and urge you all to join in.

Do your bit. The cake is so much bigger when everyone brings their part.

Leave no one behind for we are few enough as it is. Only less than two and a half million, with more than enough to go around, for in Namibia the earth's riches abound.

We only need to learn to share in the right way. Share our knowledge, our leadership and skills, our resources and direction. Most importantly we must share our vision.

To some extent that vision is here for all to see. This Mining Expo is a demonstration of our Namibian ambition for an important pillar in our national development plans. So let us all “Harambee” and work together for those benefits. Enjoy the Namibia Mining Expo 2017.