Swakop Uranium has highlighted its role beyond uranium production, with thousands of jobs, skills development, support for local businesses and community projects forming part of its broader nation-building role.

The company appealed to Namibian Broadcasting Corporation Director General Menesia Muinjo to take such positive stories to the masses.

Located about 70 kilometres from Swakopmund, Swakop Uranium's Husab Mine is contributing to employment, skills development and economic opportunities in communities around the country.

The NBC Director General and her Senior Leadership Team visited the open-pit mine and witnessed first-hand its operations and the actual impact on other sectors.

Management revealed that the company employs about 1,700 permanent workers and more than 2,000 contractors, with 96% of its workforce being Namibian.

The company's approach has also shifted towards graduate development, providing work exposure and practical experience to graduates while supporting employees who pursue further studies.

The mine creates opportunities for small and medium enterprises in Swakopmund, Arandis and Walvis Bay, while its foundation supports projects in education, water provision, community security and agriculture.

Among these is the Hope Farm project.

John Moody is Swakop Uranium Vice President for Processing.

"Sometimes people think, What is Husab doing? Husab is doing a lot. And I think through the national broadcaster, we can actually reach out, because you don't only do English. There are people in the south that can hear the message of what we are doing in the languages that we are operating in those regions. So our flagship project here is the Hope Farm project, where we have pledged that for 10 years, we are going to be giving out a thousand animals. That's a combination of sheep and goats. Many of our farmers, they lost that drought that came here, and they lost animals. So we went out there, identified the vulnerable communities, especially female-headed households. So we go in there, we set up systems, and then we give them goats as they, the system is revolving."

Moody says a perception has been created that Swakop Uranium is just a Chinese company with no impact on nation building, and he says that is a myth.

NBC Director General Menesia Muinjo stressed that the public broadcaster is a myth buster and that the highlighted initiatives need to be better communicated to the public if the institutions partner up.

"We need to be closer to mining because it's one of the core resources the country has in terms of uplifting the lives of our people. So we are actually here to appreciate you, your contribution to nation building, and that we want to be at the table where we are today with you and hold hands to say, 'How do you contribute to the mandate of the national broadcast through what you are doing? Only then will we minimise the perception that we have the mine here and what they do to our environment because of limited informational knowledge, and this is, we are experts in this.'"

Muinjo cited NBC's television, radio and digital platforms as tools that can help take Swakop Uranium's development stories to communities in languages they understand.