Kelp cultivation project in early stages of commercial-scale operations

NAMPA

2024-11-20

LUDERITZ, 15 NOV (NAMPA)-Kelp Blue Seaweed Specialist Michael Fleischman and Kelp Blue Deputy Operations Manager Iriya Jona. (Photo by: Eba Kandovazu)

LÜDERITZ, 20 NOV (NAMPA) - Kelp Blue, a project in Lüderitz facilitated by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), is progressing well and has reached the early stages of commercial-scale operations.
It grows and harvests kelp to enhance marine biodiversity, capture carbon, and create sustainable raw materials. The project cultivates giant kelp forests in the nutrient-rich waters of the Benguela Current.
“This makes the kelp grow very fast, all year round. Kelp Blue considers it the best place in the world to grow kelp,” NIPDB spokesperson Titus Shivute said during a recent media tour.
According to the company’s founder, Daniel Hooft, Kelp Blue is currently conducting trials to secure product registration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform for a bio-stimulant product intended to be used in agriculture as a safe and organic substitute for fertilisers.
With an investment totaling N.dollars 160 million, Kelp Blue has expanded since its pilot phase in 2021 and now employs 92 staff members, 96 per cent of whom are Namibian, with 48 per cent being women.
Hooft told journalists that six per cent of the total budget is allocated to staff training.
He further explained that Kelp Blue’s planting and harvesting of giant kelp forests off the coast helps to increase marine biodiversity and create sustainable input materials for multiple industries.
Kelp Blue operates under an Environmental Clearance Certificate issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism in 2021 and renewed in March 2024. The company also has an aquaculture permit from the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources which was issued in February 2022.
(NAMPA)
EB/EK/HP/AS

LUDERITZ, 15 NOV (NAMPA)-Kelp Blue Founder, Daniel Hooft. (Photo by: Eba Kandovazu)

Lüderitz NIPDB investment environment

Environment

Elephant put down near Katima Mulilo following attack

2026-03-25 08:23:47

Ministry intensifies border measures as FMD risk remains high

2026-03-24 13:27:09

Illegal mining, beneficiation concerns mount at Dâures

2026-03-17 16:13:58

Omuthiya residents tired of council’s ‘poor service delivery’

2026-03-14 18:24:39

MEFT hosts consultation meeting on revised national policy on tourism

2026-03-12 17:32:10

Sanitation a major challenge despite improved water access: Nujoma

2026-03-11 15:20:40

Women key to water management and conservation

2026-03-05 18:21:49

NCS’s Katima Farm receives agriculture equipment

2026-03-04 17:21:22

Environment Ministry denounces false smart city claims

2026-02-27 11:28:03

Govt awaiting IAEA report for Omaheke uranium mining decision

2026-02-26 10:00:11

NIDA, partners launch plan to establish Namibia’s salmon industry

2026-02-24 14:49:01

Latest NAMPA photos

WINDHOEK, 25 March 2026 - Participants pictured at the Khomas Integrated Regional Development Plan stakeholder consultation in Windhoek on Wednesday. (Photo by: Esther Gabriel) NAMPA

NAMPA

KARIBIB, 20 March 2026 - The signage of the currently existing Karibib Health centre, whose services will soon be expanded through the construction of a new health centre by the Navachab Gold Mine. (Photo by: Isabel Bento) NAMPA

NAMPA

KARIBIB, 20 March 2026 - Navachab Gold Mine Corporate Communications Officer, Mclyn Kasale speaks to the media on the early-stage construction of a N.dollars 120 million health centre in Karibib, aimed at improving access to healthcare services in the area. (Photo by: Isabel Bento) NAMPA

NAMPA

WINDHOEK, 24 March 2026 - Governor of the Bank of Namibia, Ebson Uanguta and Navachab Gold Mine Managing Director George Botshiwe pose for a photo after signing a Memorandum of Understanding. (Photo: Contributed)

NAMPA

OSHAKATI, 24 March 2026 - Anna Pashukeni Nghihepa, Inspector of Education for the Endola Circuit and Chairperson of the Ohangwena Regional Directorate of Education Award and prize giving committee. (Photo: Contributed)

NAMPA

OMUTHIYA, 24 March 2026 - Women in the Namibian Police Force (NamPol) gathered at the Oshikoto Police Regional Headquarters on Tuesday to celebrate the 16th anniversary of Women in Policing under the theme ‘Honouring the Past, Empowering the Future of Women in Policing.’ (Photo by: Max Henrich) NAMPA

NAMPA

NEU-SCHWABEN, 22 March 2026 - A kindergarten and literacy classroom structure at the Neu-Schwaben small-scale mining settlement in the Otjimbingwe area. (Photo by: Isabel Bento) NAMPA

NAMPA

WINDHOEK, 24 MARCH 2026 - Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA)'s corporate communications manager Iipumbu Sakaria. (Photo by: Molly Weyulu) NAMPA

NAMPA