John Muyamba
Rundu-President Hage Geingob says government needs total participation from traditional authorities in the development agenda of the country.
One way in which traditional authorities can inject some impetus into the country’s developmental drive is through the establishment of functioning and well-managed community trust funds, the president suggested.
He made the remarks when he officially opened the 20th annual meeting of the Council of Traditional leaders in Rundu on Wednesday.
The meeting that started on Monday ends on Friday and is being attended by traditional leaders and traditional authority representatives.
“After 27 years, we are well and truly into the second phase of our struggle, that of economic emancipation. As much as we want to improve the status of our economy, government needs total participation from our traditional authorities in order to spearhead the initiatives that aim to improve the livelihood of our people,” Geingob asserted.
“This means that our traditional authorities have a role to play by internalising and promoting our developmental initiatives, such as Vision 2030, the national development plans, and the Harambee Prosperity Plan. I therefore encourage our traditional authorities to prioritise this area.”
The president said the implementation of community trust funds by all traditional authorities would be an ideal instrument to buttress economic development at a regional level through the promotion of beneficial activities, such as fund-raising events, trade fairs and cultural festivals.