EENHANA – Lack of infrastructure, development and resettlement were among the concerns highlighted in Ohangwena’s state of the region address (SORA) last week.
Governor Walde Ndevashiya said at Eenhana that some of the factors hampering the growth of the region include the lack of health facilities such as Intensive Care Units and high care units in the hospitals to admit critically-ill patients.
He observed that there is also a need for increased ICT infrastructure in order to improve data management, as well as a general shortage of transport, combined with an ageing fleet of ambulances.
“Furthermore, we also have a lack of accommodation for medical specialists at the Engela district hospital, which is hampering effective health service delivery in the region,” he stated.
Ohangwena is not only vast, but it is also the second-most populous region in the country after Khomas.
This has led people in the Eenhana and Okongo health districts to continue walking long distances to access basic healthcare services.
“This has prompted the region to focus its plans on the construction of new health facilities in constituencies mostly affected,” the governor said.
Ndevashiya further addressed the issue of resettlement in the area, saying during the 2021/2022 financial year, the region received 112 applications for resettlement purposes. Only one applicant was successfully resettled.
“To this effect, this is a cause for great concern to the regional leadership as the number of applicants in need of resettlement keeps rising every year,” he said, adding that the region has also registered a high number of Customary Land Rights, totaling 1355.
Out of these, 10 people applied for the right of leasehold, and 19 applied for occupational land rights. In total, 1384 land rights were thus registered.
Ohangwena is one of the regions with a poor roads networks, especially the eastern constituencies of the region.
Ndevashiya said due to the fact that many access roads in the region are in a bad state or non-existent, many government institutions are very difficult to access, resulting in poor service delivery.
Despite the financial challenges impeding the development of the region, the governor added that they have prioritised the upgrading of five roads to bitumen standard.
Among the region’s achievements over the last financial year, he noted the progress of several development projects, including an aquaculture project meant to promote food security, the rising number of students enrolling in tertiary institutions, projects to improve the livelihoods of marginalised communities, improvement of safety and security, as well as the registration of veterans to receive monthly support.
During the last financial year, several projects were also implemented, such as the servicing of 420 low-cost plots with electricity at Ekokola extensions 10 and 11 in Eenhana to the tune of N$ 5.6 million.
In order to further address the housing shortages in Eenhana town, 69 houses were built in different locations, funded and constructed by different institutions at a total cost of over N$12 million.
Also, more than 2 400 plots are currently being surveyed at Ongha to the tune of N$3 million.