LüDERITZ – The Lüderitz Town Council is putting all gears in place to prepare for the challenges the green hydrogen project as well as the extraction of oil and gas offshore will bring to the area.
When addressing President Nangolo Mbumba during a recent stakeholders meeting, Johannes Mahalelo, control officer for properties at the local authority, said the town’s transformation programme will now cater to all challenges experienced to answer this call that can develop Lüderitz to greater heights.
“Through this programme, the council will now replace or upgrade ageing and dilapidated infrastructure,” he explained.
Mahalelo said one of their biggest challenges is the insufficient land available for urban expansion.
“This emanates from a pressing demand for housing, as we expect a massive inflow of people from outside Lüderitz and nearby Aus with all these upcoming developments,” he said.
He added that, apart from the 15 000 workers to be employed for the construction of the green hydrogen project, there will also be more employed at a manganese beneficiation plant, oil and gas exploration projects, as well as the envisaged salmon factory.
The council employee also said investors are further pressing for land to set up warehouse facilities and logistic support services.
“We want to expand land into the national parks, but that will require legal processes – and in addition, the council will expand the town’s boundaries as far as eight kilometres from the existing ones, as we are striving for it to become a smart city in future,” he said.
Mahalelo said a socio-economic baseline study by the council also indicates the urgent need for more education, health and recreation facilities, as well as public amenities.
In his contribution, Fluksman Samuehl, CEO of the Lüderitz Waterfront Development Company (LWDC), said they had bought large pieces of land 10 years ago in the town’s Central Business District, predicting these developments coming.
“In its efforts to address the pressing housing need, the LWDC will, in partnership with the Gondwana Group, construct a sea-view hotel this year, as the town cannot, at this stage, cope with sufficient accommodation facilities for tourists visiting it,” he explained to the audience.
The CEO continued that to cater for the need for private medical facilities, they will enter into partnerships with the private sector to set up a 150-bed seaview private health facility.
Samuehl also informed the head of State that the Bank of Namibia has, in addition, shown interest in setting up a branch for the provision of services for the energy sector, whereby processes are ongoing to set up such an office as well as housing for eight staff members.
Meanwhile, !Nami#Nus constituency councillor Susan Ndjaleka reported during the meeting that construction of a new primary school has commenced, with five classrooms already completed to cater for the upcoming educational needs.
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