Christy Anieb says the original concept of a Bird Watching and Conservation Camp situated along the Rooikop Route on the outskirts of Walvis Bay is his and accuses the Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project (NACOMA) of hijacking his idea.
Over N$1 million has been invested in the project located at a site situated 1.3km from the intersection of the Swakop Walvis Bay Road (B2) and the road to the Walvis Bay Airport into the Namib (C14).
The pan in which the camp was erected hosts a huge array of sea and sweet water birds and is situated 200m from the road. Anieb alleges that he was about to take ownership of the project when NACOMA suddenly terminated his services and evicted him from the projects premises. The project is now being managed by a volunteer Maria Shinoveni.
NACOMA Project Coordinator Rob Braby commented that the decision to terminate Anieb's services took a long time and after establishing a lot of issues pertaining to flouting of rules and regulations of the administration of donor funds advanced to him. The decision was arrived at after deliberations by all stakeholders.
The Walvis Bay Municipality and the Project Steering Committee resolved to appoint another executing agent. “I do not dispute the fact that Anieb came up with the concept. It's a fact the Bird Paradise existed since long ago and yes we invested a considerable amount of money in the project.
The World Bank and the Namibian Government does not tolerate corruption and Namibia ran the risk of the grant being terminated if we allowed the project to proceed under Mr Anieb. NACOMA is running a number of matching grants and never had to stop any before Aniebs' situation arose” said Braby
He however referred the newspaper to Mr Ignatius Kauvee who deals with the project on behalf of NACOMA. Braby pointed out that amicable resolutions could be obtained by virtue of the grievance procedures stipulated in the matching grant agreement.
According to Anieb he initiated the idea of establishing a bird watching post and conservation camp in Walvis Bay in 2001 and approached the municipality with it.
“I formulated the idea after paying a visit to the former bird's paradise and I realised that the sewerage water ponds in the area attracted the birds” says Anieb.
He made an appointment with the Development Officer of the Walvis Bay Municipality Mr Gert Kruger who promised to consult with environmentalist Rob Braby. Braby apparently gave the idea the go ahead and said that the establishment of the envisioned facility would not be an issue.
Kruger confirmed to the newspaper that he advised Anieb and assisted him with drawing up the required business plans for the project and to acquire a lease for the land he needed to establish the project.
The Municipality approved the project in 2007 and allocated 2 hectares of land in the vicinity of the sewerage ponds. According to Anieb he saw an advert from NACOMA inviting businesses to submit proposals and applications for grants and he responded to this. His proposal was approved and he was allocated a grant of N$450 000.
The requirement of the agreement which was signed on 15 July stipulated that it would run until the construction phase and the putting up of infrastructure have been completed.
Anieb registered himself as a tour operator in 2009 and also received a grant of N$30 000 to upgrade his expertise via training with Stratex Consulting in Windhoek and successfully completed a Practical Project Management Training course for the project from 29 March to 1 April.
In 2011 Anieb mismanaged N$30 000 of donor funds. He used the money for personal purposes and could not account for it financially. He had a meeting with the NACOMA Steering committee and they resolved to give him a second chance after he explained that he used the money to settle some personal debts and on the condition that he pay back the money in cash or via labour.
He deposited N$25 000 into the project's account on 7 November 2012.
Anieb told the newspaper that a week before he was to officially take control of the project he received notification that 50% of income generated from the project he registered as a business should be paid to the municipality or to the community. “This was never part of the initial agreement” he says.
According to Anieb, NACOMA also advised him to accommodate Dawid Uushona from the Municipality of Walvis Bay as a co-signatory for the account of the business he founded.
When he refused to do so and suggested to bring his own accountant on board as a co-signatory, NACOMA confiscated the area, cancelled the project and took it over from him.
He now accuses NACOMA of operating on the allocated area on his business plan. “They cancelled the project in 2011 on the basis that I mismanaged funds and are now running it on behalf of themselves” he says.
According to him NACOMA commissioned a feasibility study for the project by consultant Wolfgang Schenk and paid him N$70 000 for it.
In 2010 NACOMA confirmed to Schenk that it had committed itself in principle to support Anieb Bird Watching Camp cc Venture to develop, construct and maintain watch towers, bird hides, walkways and resting places with the aim of providing guided bird viewing tours and educating school learners on the diversity of bird species that inhabit Namibia's central coastal region.
In his recommendations and findings Schenk stated that the application of a matching grant from NACOMA by Anieb were viable and that the project would sustain itself and generate considerable income exceeding the N$200 000 limit.
He also suggested the possible relocation to the lagoon of Walvis Bay be considered and investigated. That a mentor program be set up that will accompany the newcomer enterprise for the duration of at least 5 years as a condition and part of the grant contract.
“I never generated any funds from the project and just as I was about to start doing so they took it away from me. I sold my house in order to pay back the money I mismanaged.
I spetd a considerable amount of time, effort and resources to have the access road to the project location constructed and missed out on the opportunity to host a German and American tourist group at the project, which I registered with the Namibia Tourism Board, after it was hijacked from me,” said Anieb.
According to Anieb he is baffled by the fact that the World Bank avails funds for the project to the Ministry of Environmentand Tourism and that NACOMA administers these funds on behalf of the ministry.
I am aware that funds were again released after the completion and submission of a progress report and a request for a matching grant was submitted” says Anieb who alleges that approximately N$1 million had been released by the donors for the project and demands to know who the World Bank and Ministry of Environment and Tourism is funding.
Kruger said that he could not comment on what transpired between Anieb, NACOMA and the Bank of Namibia as he was not part of that process.
Commissioner Theofilus Nghitila from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism advised Anieb to follow the proper procedures and channels to have his complaint addressed.
“The decision to separate Anieb from the project was taken within the frame work of Government and World Bank policy. Government found it fitting to continue with the project after Anieb was separated from it” said Nghitilia.
Over N$1 million has been invested in the project located at a site situated 1.3km from the intersection of the Swakop Walvis Bay Road (B2) and the road to the Walvis Bay Airport into the Namib (C14).
The pan in which the camp was erected hosts a huge array of sea and sweet water birds and is situated 200m from the road. Anieb alleges that he was about to take ownership of the project when NACOMA suddenly terminated his services and evicted him from the projects premises. The project is now being managed by a volunteer Maria Shinoveni.
NACOMA Project Coordinator Rob Braby commented that the decision to terminate Anieb's services took a long time and after establishing a lot of issues pertaining to flouting of rules and regulations of the administration of donor funds advanced to him. The decision was arrived at after deliberations by all stakeholders.
The Walvis Bay Municipality and the Project Steering Committee resolved to appoint another executing agent. “I do not dispute the fact that Anieb came up with the concept. It's a fact the Bird Paradise existed since long ago and yes we invested a considerable amount of money in the project.
The World Bank and the Namibian Government does not tolerate corruption and Namibia ran the risk of the grant being terminated if we allowed the project to proceed under Mr Anieb. NACOMA is running a number of matching grants and never had to stop any before Aniebs' situation arose” said Braby
He however referred the newspaper to Mr Ignatius Kauvee who deals with the project on behalf of NACOMA. Braby pointed out that amicable resolutions could be obtained by virtue of the grievance procedures stipulated in the matching grant agreement.
According to Anieb he initiated the idea of establishing a bird watching post and conservation camp in Walvis Bay in 2001 and approached the municipality with it.
“I formulated the idea after paying a visit to the former bird's paradise and I realised that the sewerage water ponds in the area attracted the birds” says Anieb.
He made an appointment with the Development Officer of the Walvis Bay Municipality Mr Gert Kruger who promised to consult with environmentalist Rob Braby. Braby apparently gave the idea the go ahead and said that the establishment of the envisioned facility would not be an issue.
Kruger confirmed to the newspaper that he advised Anieb and assisted him with drawing up the required business plans for the project and to acquire a lease for the land he needed to establish the project.
The Municipality approved the project in 2007 and allocated 2 hectares of land in the vicinity of the sewerage ponds. According to Anieb he saw an advert from NACOMA inviting businesses to submit proposals and applications for grants and he responded to this. His proposal was approved and he was allocated a grant of N$450 000.
The requirement of the agreement which was signed on 15 July stipulated that it would run until the construction phase and the putting up of infrastructure have been completed.
Anieb registered himself as a tour operator in 2009 and also received a grant of N$30 000 to upgrade his expertise via training with Stratex Consulting in Windhoek and successfully completed a Practical Project Management Training course for the project from 29 March to 1 April.
In 2011 Anieb mismanaged N$30 000 of donor funds. He used the money for personal purposes and could not account for it financially. He had a meeting with the NACOMA Steering committee and they resolved to give him a second chance after he explained that he used the money to settle some personal debts and on the condition that he pay back the money in cash or via labour.
He deposited N$25 000 into the project's account on 7 November 2012.
Anieb told the newspaper that a week before he was to officially take control of the project he received notification that 50% of income generated from the project he registered as a business should be paid to the municipality or to the community. “This was never part of the initial agreement” he says.
According to Anieb, NACOMA also advised him to accommodate Dawid Uushona from the Municipality of Walvis Bay as a co-signatory for the account of the business he founded.
When he refused to do so and suggested to bring his own accountant on board as a co-signatory, NACOMA confiscated the area, cancelled the project and took it over from him.
He now accuses NACOMA of operating on the allocated area on his business plan. “They cancelled the project in 2011 on the basis that I mismanaged funds and are now running it on behalf of themselves” he says.
According to him NACOMA commissioned a feasibility study for the project by consultant Wolfgang Schenk and paid him N$70 000 for it.
In 2010 NACOMA confirmed to Schenk that it had committed itself in principle to support Anieb Bird Watching Camp cc Venture to develop, construct and maintain watch towers, bird hides, walkways and resting places with the aim of providing guided bird viewing tours and educating school learners on the diversity of bird species that inhabit Namibia's central coastal region.
In his recommendations and findings Schenk stated that the application of a matching grant from NACOMA by Anieb were viable and that the project would sustain itself and generate considerable income exceeding the N$200 000 limit.
He also suggested the possible relocation to the lagoon of Walvis Bay be considered and investigated. That a mentor program be set up that will accompany the newcomer enterprise for the duration of at least 5 years as a condition and part of the grant contract.
“I never generated any funds from the project and just as I was about to start doing so they took it away from me. I sold my house in order to pay back the money I mismanaged.
I spetd a considerable amount of time, effort and resources to have the access road to the project location constructed and missed out on the opportunity to host a German and American tourist group at the project, which I registered with the Namibia Tourism Board, after it was hijacked from me,” said Anieb.
According to Anieb he is baffled by the fact that the World Bank avails funds for the project to the Ministry of Environmentand Tourism and that NACOMA administers these funds on behalf of the ministry.
I am aware that funds were again released after the completion and submission of a progress report and a request for a matching grant was submitted” says Anieb who alleges that approximately N$1 million had been released by the donors for the project and demands to know who the World Bank and Ministry of Environment and Tourism is funding.
Kruger said that he could not comment on what transpired between Anieb, NACOMA and the Bank of Namibia as he was not part of that process.
Commissioner Theofilus Nghitila from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism advised Anieb to follow the proper procedures and channels to have his complaint addressed.
“The decision to separate Anieb from the project was taken within the frame work of Government and World Bank policy. Government found it fitting to continue with the project after Anieb was separated from it” said Nghitilia.
No comments:
Post a Comment