Cecilia Xavier
OKOROSAVE – Ten projects from the Kunene, Ohangwena, Zambezi and Omusati regions benefited from the Namibia Integrated Landscape Approach for Enhancing Livelihood and Environmental Governance to Eradicate Poverty project.
The NILALEG project that is estimated at N$6.8 million is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF), University of Namibia and the United Nations Development Programme with the financial assistance from the Global Environmental Facility.
“It is commendable to note that achieving this milestone amidst the challenges of the pandemic is worth appreciating. This is so because we all have seen the effects that have resulted from this crisis, of which the impact is still felt up to now,” said environment minister Pohamba Shifeta.
He urged the beneficiaries to work hard and ensure effective delivery.
“I wish to urge all the grantees present here today that getting these grants is only the first step, but the overall expectations are much bigger than they may think. Therefore, hard work and dedication in ensuring effective delivery is expected from all grantees so that collectively we achieve the goals we have set ourselves,” he added.
Chief executive officer (CEO) of EIF Benedict Libanda promised that they would do all they can to support the transition to a sustainable future, and want this transition to come fast. He indicated that the thinking behind climate change adaptation and sustainability is higher than before.
“For real change, you need real people on the ground, willing to work and account for the resources given to them. It is against this background that I would like to urge all stakeholders and implementing partners of the NILALEG Project to ensure that we hold one another accountable for the success of the project,” noted Libanda.
Omaovipanga is one of the funded projects in the Kunene region, upscaling the adoption of climate-resilient rangeland rehabilitation and crop production in the vulnerable and dry land of the Okatjandja Kozomenje Conservancy. This project received N$685 883 and will run for 24 months, benefiting about 14 850 community members. Kunene governor Marius Sheya applauded the initiative, indicating that the success of the project implementation is based on teamwork. “I am confident that if the NILALEG project is successfully implemented, it will result in a paradigm shift for our rural communities in the target landscapes, and subsequent positive project impacts for the region and other regions where it will be implemented. We simply cannot continue to do business as usual,” the governor stressed.
*Cecilia Xavier works for the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in Opuwo.