The Roads Authority (RA) believes the opening of the 52km Namalubi-Isize-Luhonono road in the Zambezi region is of outmost importance. This is because the road enables local communities to gain vital access to surrounding services and areas, which in turn drastically improves their socio-economic conditions.
This is according to RA board chairperson Lily Brandt, who formed part of the RA delegation which visited State House this week. The purpose of the visit was to present President Hage Geingob with a token of appreciation for his continuous encouragement on the maintenance of the country’s roads network, which is crucial for both national security and economic development.
Brandt noted that the Namalubi-Isize-Luhonono road was constructed to the tune of N$740 million, and was officially opened in November last year.
“This was one of the best roads to be completed by the RA due to the impact it has on the community. They now have unconstrained access to livelihoods and socio-economic services. During the construction, we facilitated a number of SMEs, and many local businesses in the area benefitted tremendously from this construction,” she
observed.
At the same occasion, RA CEO Conrad Lutombi said there are currently a number of essential roads projects running in the country that are scheduled to be completed by 2025.
“We have adopted a strategy to be able to cover accessibility, especially in the rural areas where traffic is low.
The challenge we have is accessibility from the agricultural centres to the main roads. We really want to open that, especially in areas such as the two Kavango regions, because many people depend on agriculture in those areas,” he added.
The RA CEO believes there is a need to give attention to these issues, adding that even under the difficult circumstances of an economic downturn, the RA will deliver on its mandate in order to achieve government’s developmental agenda.
Most of the RA’s projects currently being implemented are in pursuit of the realisation of Vision 2030. These are key strategic projects that aim to cement Namibia’s position as a regional logistics hub. “Our focus is making sure that we open most of our corridors to ensure there are enhanced transport services and transportation of goods in Namibia, and enabling access to neighbouring countries,” said Lutombi.