John Muyamba
Rundu-Kavango East Regional Governor Dr Samuel Mbambo is heading a Namibian delegation for a weeklong visit to Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe.
The visit is in pursuit of knowledge and skills in food production, as Mashonaland is known for farming.
The delegation left for Zimbabwe on Friday and will be back on Saturday. Mbambo yesterday joined the delegation in Harare where they were welcomed by Namibian embassy staff and proceeded on the tour.
“This trip is a fact-finding mission concerning food production to Zimbabwe, specifically to Chinhoyi in Mashonaland West Province, where we were told that is the province that produces a lot of food. In our region we have embarked on a food production programme called Operation Werengendje. We are going to learn more and make use of their skills and experience concerning food production,” Mbambo told New Era in an interview before he left.
Mbambo sees the visit as the beginning of what he thinks will be a long standing relationship because after this visit the intention is to have a twinning relationship that will focus mainly on food production.
“This is just the beginning – we will get to a point where we will sign a memorandum of understanding. We are thinking some of those experts coming here can provide training to our people like farmers and so on, or crop and animal husbandry and some of those things, or we can send people to Mashonaland to get training and come back with a purpose to come train others here . The whole idea is to enhance food production under Operation Werengendje,” Mbambo noted.
He said the delegation would include staff from the University of Namibia (Unam) as there are plans to incorporate agriculture at the Rundu campus.
The delegation includes crop, poultry, other livestock as well as horticulture farmers.
Some business people in the area of tourism and hospitality also joined the delegation.