By John Muyamba
RUNDU – Kavango West Governor Sirkka Ausiku is urging public service providers to invest in her region.
Kavango West, she said, lacks several key infrastructural developments.
Said Ausiku: “We have already started setting up line ministries and offices. We had our second meeting last December with stakeholders like church and political leaders and also constituency development committees to prepare our region for development.”
She added:“Besides assessing the progress of last year’s projects in the meetings, we further looked at the region’s needs that ought to be urgently addressed and thus I am inviting all government offices and private companies to come to the region and set up offices to cater to our needs.”
The governor said being a new region, Kavango West remains vastly rural.
“What people must importantly understand is that Kavango West is a new region and we are highly rural without facilities and everybody acknowledges that.”
She said the region, amongst other regions like Zambezi, Ohangwena, and Kavango East regions, had the highest level of unemployment and poverty.
“Our region also has poor access to services.”
The Governor added that although the region is new there was enthusiasm to start developing with the help of all stakeholders including the business community.
“Developing this region requires all of us not only government. In our last meeting the focus was also on infrastructure development and I hope that the different ministries have or will budget for it in the next budget that is due to come out before 1 April.”
The Kavango Regional Council is busy assisting Kavango West to come up with its own regional government office park which is going to be built in Nkurenkuru to house different government offices including the regional council, and the governor’s office
Ausiku said: “Other ministries have also approached the Nkurenkuru Town Council to avail land for them to build. We are also expecting to start the construction of the new constituency offices of the new constituencies in the new financial year that is starting in April. New constituency offices are needed at Mpungu, Mankumpi, Musese and Tondoro. Feasibility studies have already done.”
According to Ausiku, Kavango West was developing its regional profile in sectors that include Agriculture, Forestry, Tourism and manufacturing.
The Governor also applauded the region for good Grade 10 results and congratulated the ruling party for winning in the recent Presidential and National Assembly Elections.
“We the people of Kavango West also contributed to the party’s victory and the people who cast their votes are waiting for the government they voted for to come back and work for them, to bring development to them,” Ausiku noted.
“We are calling business people to build facilities to rent out like offices and for workers to rent accommodation when they come to live here as there are few buildings in our new town.”