RUNDU – Governor of the Kavango West region Sirkka Ausiku said the lack of reliable internet access is a significant hurdle in her region.

Ausiku made the remarks during her 10th state of the region address held at Nkurenkuru on Friday, saying that according to the most recent figures by the Namibia Statistics Agency, 29.1% of the region’s population still has no access to a mobile communication network.

A communication network is important as it unlocks opportunities for the region’s people in areas such as education, banking and healthcare, she said.

“However, the region appreciates the construction of a new tower as this project is ongoing. The region further calls for the expansion of the local radio coverage, which is at 78% and television at 74.5%,” she added.

When it comes to coverage by various media institutions, Ausiku said the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology’s regional office covers most of the region’s activities.

She called on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) management to allocate permanent reporters or an office in the region.

Currently, the NBC only has a permanent office with reporters in Rundu in the Kavango East region.

The MICT office in the region provides free internet access to the youth, while also conducting free computer literacy training, she noted.

Thus far, a total of 135 youth have benefitted from the ongoing programme.

On sanitation, the governor said the region continues to implement rural sanitation programmes.

“Close to 100 rural toilets were constructed during the year under review, and a budget of N$2.3 million was allocated to address sanitation problems in the region,” Ausiku said. -Nampa