Nambara Stefanus
NKURENKURU – The lack of proper sports facilities in Kavango West adversely impacts on the region’s sports performance particularly when it wants to compete at different levels and it undermines the region’s capabilities of developing sports.
This sentiment was expressed last week by the region’s chairperson for sports committee Egidius Nambara
“Currently, all sport activities take place on sandy sport fields which are not up to standard and this makes it difficult for the youth and all sport lovers to reach the highest level in sport if they are to compete nationally and internationally,” said Nambara.
This the chairperson said in a document as he briefed the Executive Director in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Services Emma Kantema-Gaomas on the current status of sports in the region during an engagement meeting by the Kavango West regional sports committee with the executive director’s office.
“It is important to note that the region is blessed with talents in various sport codes and most of these talents cannot be unearthed due to the lack of sports infrastructure and support,” he said.
The regional sport chairperson said there is a need to construct a proper multi-purpose sports complex that will cater for all sport codes in the region.
“We are appealing to the ministry to at least source funds from donors and sympathisers for the construction of the much needed sports complex or at least for the construction of a temporary one while we wait for the main facility,” he said.
Another challenge he said the region is facing is not having a sport officer.
“This has resulted in the region missing out on many issues relating to sport as there is no one to coordinate it at the ministerial level,” he stated. In 2015, Nkurenkuru Town Council availed 21 hectares of land to the ministry of sport for the construction of a sports complex but have not yet been developed up to now.
To this, Kantema-Gaomas informed the committee that N$5 million was allocated for phase one development of the land.
Despite being a young region faced with challenges, the executive director applauded the region for the efforts to develop sport in the region.
“I’m very pleased to see all these achievements, especially in terms of organising the league, really that is a commendable effort, with the little resources you have I’m really impressed,” she said.
* Nambara Stefanus is an Information Officer in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) based at Nkurenkuru in Kavango West