GOBABIS – Plans by the Omaheke Regional Council to upgrade Buitepos – the country’s main eastern gateway to Botswana and the rest of the Southern African Development Community region, is gaining steam. 

Buitepos is being upgraded into a fully-fledged town with all basic amenities to respond to service needs of both travellers and locals working and living there.

High on the agenda is the expansion of the settlement, which is expected to unlock a wide
range of opportunities – from residential, commercial, agricultural, to public infrastructure development – while creating significant employment opportunities.

As such, government, through the regional council, recently acquired and commissioned Farm Sandfontein No. 468 Portion 2 and Portion 1 of Farm Arbeidsgenot No. 522, both totalling 7 962 hectares for these purposes. 

The now-24-hour Trans-Kalahari border post at Buitepos continues to introduce diverse economic activities, which draws a high number of the Namibians who are seizing the self-presenting opportunities to improve their livelihoods.

Efforts to upgrade the border area from a settlement to a town comes after calls by the Omaheke Regional Council chairperson Ignatius Kariseb, who has on several occasions advocated for the proclamation of the Buitepos area as a town. 

Kariseb has maintained that the proclamation of the area to a town would provide the necessary governance structure and dedicated administrative support to ensure its continued growth and development.

During the commissioning, he said the acquisition does not only represent the land, but unlocks economic potential, empowers communities and strengthens the Buitepos area as a regional growth hub.

“Buitepos offers prime opportunities for warehousing, freight and haulage services, dry port operations and integrated logistics solutions, ensuring seamless regional trade and facilitating efficient movement of goods across borders and supporting regional supply chains,” he stressed.

He said the growth presents a good opportunity and it is a call for investors to capitalise on the growing demand for shopping complexes, business parks and other facilities to cater for the growing population inhabiting the area.

Kariseb added that the ample land would be ideal for urban and peri-urban farming, livestock projects and value-added agricultural production.

If successfully implemented, the agricultural initiatives will strengthen local food security, improve livelihoods for the residents and attract investment in commercial farming, agro-processing and supply chain enterprises.

He said the commissioning of the farm marks a new beginning for Buitepos.

*Julia Kamarenga is an information officer at Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in Omaheke region.