Socio-Economic Baseline Study for Rössing Uranium’s Mine Expansion Project. 2007 Socio-Economic Component of the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the RÖSSING URANIUM MINE EXPANSION PROJECT Socio-Economic Baseline Study Marie Hoadley Social Impact Assessment +27 (0) 83 6579375 +264 (0) 81 3280409
[email protected] 1 Socio-Economic Baseline Study for Rössing Uranium’s Mine Expansion Project. 2007 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Rössing Uranium (RU) commissioned a Socio-Economic Baseline Study as part of the socio- economic component of the integrated Social and Environmental Impact Assessment for the Company’s Mine Expansion Project. RU indicated that the Study should not focus solely on Arandis, but should also incorporate other communities of interest. This guidance, and a preliminary assessment, led to the identification of five communities: Arandis, Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, which already have strong economic ties with RU, and where the RU workforce resides; Usakos, which is to be considered in terms of its suitability for accommodating the workforce, and the Spitzkoppe/small-scale mining community. The latter was included because of its marginalised status in the centre of uranium mining activities, and because of the links it has with RU through the work of the Rössing Foundation. The two chapters dealing with the developmental context of RU from a national and regional perspective show that the mineral sector, especially in view of the increase in uranium mining, will be a major contributor to economic growth in the country and in the Erongo Region. Unemployment in Namibia is high, as are poverty levels in parts of the country, particularly in the rural and labour-sending areas.