John Muyamba
Nkurenkuru
Kavango West Regional Governor Sirkka Ausiku says she is excited that the construction of the vocational training centre (VTC) in the region is finally starting. The Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, together with the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) will at the end of the month have a groundbreaking ceremony for the new vocational centre in Nkurenkuru.
Ausiku, in an interview told New Era, spoke of how she expects the vocational training centre to introduce new skills and development to a region with the highest unemployment rate in the country.
“It is very important for our region because it will create experts. Youths that can create employment for themselves and others, that is why I am personally excited, because if most of our unemployed youth can undergo the training they will be able to make a difference in the region and the country at large,” Ausiku said.
The groundbreaking is expected to be held towards the end of September, following which the contractors will start with servicing of the identified land before actual construction starts.
“We are expecting the minister of higher education and the CEO of NTA and their officials to come, we have been waiting for this day to come,” Ausiku enthused.
Looking at development in Kavango West in the light of the recent budget cuts, Ausiku said most of the projects are on hold after last year’s budget review.
“Of course, during this financial year it’s mostly the continuation of old projects that have been ongoing and we did not start with any new projects yet, except this VTC we are talking about, which will of course be funded by NTA. This is the only new project in the region; the rest are older projects that are still to be completed,” Ausiku noted.
New Era asked her about the fact that Kavango West is very rural and the region needs these stalled developmental projects to be up and running to provide services to the residents, who depend on Kavango East for most services.
“Of course we do understand that the country is in a difficult financial situation and we need to understand that it is not an individual that doesn’t want our projects to be up and running, but we are looking forward for things to go well in the next financial budget.
“Most of our big projects, like the district hospital and the government office park should be included as a priority for our region, but for now we are looking forward for the country to recover so we can move on,” she said.