Chamwe Kaira
Namibia is strengthening its technical and scientific capacity as it prepares to defend its extended continental shelf claim before the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
The continental shelf refers to the part of the ocean floor that is shallower than the deep sea and usually follows the outline of the continent. Its width differs from place to place.
In some areas the seabed drops close to land, while in other areas it stretches hundreds of kilometres into the ocean. Namibia’s Walvis Ridge forms part of this wider seabed structure.
To support its claim, Namibia has invested in building national expertise and systems needed to prepare scientific and legal evidence.
Namibian specialists recently attended a technical and legal training workshop on continental shelf delineation in Tanzania. The training focused on mapping the continental shelf, interpreting legal requirements, and preparing scientific data needed to support the country’s submission.
Officials also visited Kenya to study how that country defended its continental shelf claim. The exchange allowed the Namibian team to learn from Kenya’s experience and refine strategies to defend Namibia’s maritime boundary interests.
Namibia’s Continental Shelf Defence team has already prepared and submitted scientific and technical reports on the smooth margin area to the UN Commission.
The country also presented its case during the 61st and 63rd sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in New York in July 2024 and February 2025.
At the same time, Namibia has strengthened its geospatial information systems to support boundary management and verification of its maritime claims. Work to develop and revise the country’s fundamental geospatial dataset has reached 55% completion.
The programme also included investment in modern surveying and mapping tools. High-resolution satellite imagery covering the entire country was obtained and used to correct regional, constituency and local authority boundaries.
Land administration systems were also improved during the same period. Officials worked on repairing and verifying deeds documents, updating land registers and restoring incomplete or damaged records.
All deeds and sectional titles were captured during the reporting period, reaching full performance in the core registration system.
A total of 21 825 title deeds and other property documents were registered, along with 5 600 sectional titles. The emergency electronic registration system recorded 8 514 title deeds and bond documents.
Services related to movable and immovable property information generated revenue of N$2.80 million.
