Outapi
At the official opening on Friday of the main road (MR129) from Omafo to Outapi in the Omusati Region’s Anamulenge Constituency, President Hage Geingob said his government is committed to building a total of 1 480 km of bitumen standard roads over the next five years.
The president said road networks are no longer a luxury but rather a necessity for every human being, as people need decent road networks, irrespective of where they reside.
“Road networks play the same role for a country as the cardiovascular system plays in your body. Your heart pumps blood through blood vessels within your circulatory system. Blood has the specific task of carrying oxygen to your body’s vital organs, providing vitality and energy. When your vital organs and circulatory system work in unison, you have an adequate blood flow,” he explained.
“Similarly, the road network connects the nation’s capital – which is the heart of the country – to other urban, as well as rural centres, which are the vital organs of the country. The road networks are similar to the blood vessels, ensuring that people, goods and services are moving freely to and from the various centres of the country, bringing vitality and energy to the whole country, and in so doing, form a system which pulls in the same direction, Harambee – and provide adequate supply of economic and other goods to each and every Namibian, no matter which region or town they reside in.”
According to President Geingob, every Namibian – regardless where they live – deserves equal access to good roads, electricity, water, education, health and telecommunications. Therefore his government is committed to the completion of the envisioned road networks.
The government’s commitment to upgrading the road network signifies its commitment to the welfare of citizens across the country and to the continuation of 25 years of efficient management of the national road networks through sound management principles and strategies, Geingob said.
The MR 129 road stretches over 98 km and will serve as an economic corridor linking the Erongo, Kunene, Omusati, Ohangwena, Kavango West, Kavango East and Zambezi regions.
The renovation involved upgrading the road from gravel to bitumen standard. It was constructed by China Gezhouba Group and upon completion will have cost N$576 million.
Geingob said the newly constructed road also signifies an important milestone in the development of transport infrastructure in the SADC region and in particular between Namibia and Angola, as it will serve as a backbone of the regional development corridor.
Geingob further maintained that he intends to continue with the policy of renovation, upgrading, maintenance and expansion of critical sections of the national transport network, with a view to ensuring safe and convenient travel, stimulating economic activity, and facilitating the unfettered movement of goods and services within Namibia and across its borders.
“By providing modern road infrastructure to areas that were formerly isolated and cut off from the economic heartbeat of the country we will be able to unlock the full economic potential of Namibia,” he said.
“As always, I must commend the sterling efforts of my predecessors, first Comrade Sam Nujoma for bringing us peace and stability, and Comrade Hifikepunye Pohamba – who officiated at the groundbreaking of the commencement of this project – for consolidating and paving the way for Namibia to pursue economic growth.
“Now, as the president tasked with bringing you prosperity, I am here to tell you that I have begun to deliver on this promise,” he said.