The tourism ministry has finalized the Management Plan for Etosha National Park, which includes a five-point action plan for upgrading and reconstructing the Etosha boundary fence. Their goal is to complete the reconstruction of the park's boundary fence by 2030. Tourism minister Indileni Daniel said in her response to questions raised in Parliament concerning the Etosha National Park Boundary Fence. She said that the boundary of the Etosha National Park is an extremely long perimeter boundary, consisting of 824 kilometres of fence in the Oshikoto, Oshana, Omusati, Otjozondjupa and Kunene regions. “Constructed in the 1970s, this boundary fence consists of three types, namely stock proof fence, which is a 1.2-meter fence without netting wire, game-proof fence with 2.4 meters of netting wire, and a section of fence consisting mainly of cable fence.” Daniel said that 185 kilometers of the fence on the northern and western boundaries of the park have been reconstructed, with 639 kilometers of fence remaining. She said that in 2020, the ministry put up a programme to upgrade or reconstruct the entire Etosha National Park boundary fence. “The ministry is currently using its own resources and staff members, members of the National Youth Service, and community representatives for the construction of the fence project. She said that they have 10 members from the National Youth Service and 25 members from communities, five each from King Nehale, Ipumbu Ya Shilongo, Sheya Shuushona, Ehirovipuka Conservancies and and the Hai//om San community. Daniel said that the construction and maintenance of the fence is very expensive, and their approach of using their own resources and the community, as well as the National Youth Service, has proven to be more cost-effective and creates skills development and employment for the community. “Our plan is to have a total of one hundred 100 members of the community and the youth to expand our construction team and support the ministry, with four groups of 25 members to speed up the process. “We already have 25 members of the youth and communities, and in the next two months, we will recruit 25 more, and the other 50 should be recruited before the end of the year or as soon as we have secured financial resources for this purpose. Daniel said that after being appointed as minister in March, she identified the Etosha fence as a top priority requiring urgent attention. “In April 2025, I visited Etosha National Park to assess the fence's condition first-hand. “I observed both the newly constructed sections and the deteriorated areas in need of intervention.” Daniel said that addressing this issue is a complex task that demands substantial financial and human resources, but we are fully committed to resolving it. Daniel said that with strong support from neighbouring communities and farmers, coupled with increased funding, whether through the sustainable use of wildlife resources channelled into the Game Product Trust Fund or through a higher budget allocation to the ministry, this target completion date could be achieved even sooner.
