ONGWEDIVA – Swapo vice president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah says the long-held dream by Founding President Sam Nujoma to pump water thousands of kilometres from the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Namibia should be revived to ensure water security.
The Congo River is a long, arcing river with a basin that spans nine countries in west central Africa. About two decades ago, Nujoma shared his dream of ‘piping’ water from the Congo River and pouring it into the Kavango River to the rest of southern Africa.
In 2012, The Namibian reported the Namibian government went as far as engaging consultants to conduct a feasibility study. However, it was not clear what the conclusions were, and the dream seemed to have been deferred. Speaking during a mobilisation event in Ongwediva in the Oshana region over the weekend, Nandi-Ndaitwah, who is also the minister of international relations, supported Nujoma’s vision, saying the idea is doable and economical.
“We have two sources of bringing water in this country; we are talking of Desalinated Seawater – and the founding president, Sam Nujoma, has been talking about getting water from the Congo River, and that is very much possible,” she stated, adding that the dream can only become a reality if leaders work together. Nandi-Ndaitwah said the agriculture sector continues to play a significant role in contributing to the socio-economic development of the country, and water sustainability can help boost the economy. “We already have land, and with the water we have, we can utilise it efficiently, and then it will be able to grow the sector,” she added.
Nandi-Ndaitwah is of the stance that when water gets to Namibia, it can be conserved in dams and utilised for many months.
“With the current technologies, it is even cheaper to bring those pipes through the sea and not through the land. Even on the land, it is not far,” she said.
“There is about 1 370 kilometres from the mouth of the Congo River through Angola to Oshikango. I have made my research because I know it is possible. It is even shorter if we use the sea route, and it will land in Walvis Bay. This is one way we can develop the country, and we must own this process as Swapo members.”
In a telephonic interview with New Era, NamWater CEO Abraham Nehemia said the approach can be beneficial to the country.
He said, the idea was already discussed during Nujoma’s leadership, and it could not be pulled off the ground due to technical and environmental issues.
“Namibia is a very dry country – and if we can get an additional water supply, that will indeed be beneficial to us. Although this project was initially the founding president’s idea, it was registered as a SADC projected under the SADC Water division; however, it could not be finalised because of some environmental factors,” said Nehemia.
In addition, Nehemia said it is commendable that Nandi-Ndaitwah revived the conversation about the project – and if “she can push for it” at the SADC level, it is going to help the country’s water
scarcity.
Africa’s transboundary water
During the 36th UN-Water virtual meeting, convened in Geneva, Switzerland, in April, the minister of agriculture, water and land reform, Calle Schlettwein, said the investment in Africa’s transboundary water projects remains very slow, hampering progress toward the continent’s economic growth aspirations and the respective UN Sustainable Development Goals.
During the conference, Schlettwein called on governments and other actors to mainstream transboundary water cooperation and issues at stake at the 2023 UN Water Conference, including during the preparatory phase.
Asked about the agriculture ministry’s stance on Nandi-Ndaitwah’s statement and how realistic it can be, the spokesperson Jona Musheko hesitated to comment on the matter, saying “it is political” and beyond him.