WINDHOEK – The Millennium Challenge Account – Namibia (MCA-N) spent 70 percent of its agriculture budget or N$530 million on various key empowerment projects in the Northen Communal Areas (NCA).
MCA-N has undertaken to spend 100 percent of its budget before the end of September next year when the MCA-N will cease operations in Namibia. Agra’s project manager of the Livestock Management Efficiency Fund, Mwazi Mwazi, highlighted some of the achievements of the MCA-N yesterday. Mwazi, gave feedback at Agra’s ProVision information day on the MCA-N nutrition and animal health projects and pointed out that under its Land Access and Management Communal Land Support project, the MCA-N has completed the registration of 6 692 parcels of 80 villages mapped and 2 651 certificates to households were issued.
He pointed out that 1 217 people were trained as technical assistants and 369 community meetings were held. Four community land- based events were held and 60 members were also trained. The highly praised acomplishments of MCA-N were achieved in partnership with the ministries of agriculture, water and forestry, education, environment and tourism, lands and resettlement, the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) and the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB).
With its Community-Based Rangeland and Livestock Management programme the MCA-N also made great strides with the piloting of best practices, as well as the combined herding scheme on 50 grazing areas in the NCA, which consisted of a rangeland management component, animal husbandry, marketing (6 cooperatives), community development, water infrastructure (71 water points established/upgraded.
With the Livestock Support Animal Health Infrastructure programme, upgradings were done at Eenhana, Outapi, Omuthiya, Okakarara and Epukiro, while staff houses for members of the Directorate Veterinary Services were also uograded in the Zambezi Region.
Also, the Livestock Market Efficiency Fund (LMEF) implemented eight grants and constructed two facilities. With regards to livestock traceability Mwazi said 1.6 million ear tags were supplied and traceability equipment purchased which resulted in more than 1.5 million cattle tagged up to date since NamLITS 2 was launched merging north and south. The Indigenous Natural Products Producer and Processor Organisations (PPO) signed 67 service agreements, while a total of 8 600 producers were mobilised and trained. The total value of grants came to US$ 205 555 or N$2.05 million. Income to producers amounted to N$5 million in 2012. The MCA-N compact was signed in 2008 between the governments of Namibia and the United States of America, acting through the MCA-N and the Millennium Challenge Corporation of America respectively.
By Deon Schlechter