By Clemens Kashuupulwa
Namibia with a population of 1.8 million has progressed well for the past 17 years since independence. Its economic, social, security and administrative sectors have improved better towards “a prosperous and industrialized Namibia, developed by her human resources, enjoying peace, harmony and political stability”, the Namibian long-term dream that is to be achieved by the year 2030.
It is on this basis that the government and all progressive people in Namibia pledge to maintain the Policy of National Reconciliation and Namibia’s thriving multi-democratic political tolerance to keep our hard won peace, freedom and tranquility on track.
Namibia can only attain its Vision 2030 in an environment that is socially, economically, culturally and politically stable on a sustainable basis.
Namibia’s Vision 2030 presents thus “a clear view of where we are now, where we want to go from here and over what time framework”. It is a vision that will take Namibia from the present into the future, a dream that will guide Namibia to make deliberate efforts and commitment to improve the quality of life of our people.
Namibia’s vision is designed as a broad unifying vision which would guide the country’s five-year development plans under the National Development Plan 2 [NDP2] to NDP7 which at the same time “provides directions to government ministries, regional councils, local councils, the private sector, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], civil societies” and donor agencies towards a prosperous nation.
There are some doubting Thomasses who believe that Namibia shall not “achieve Vision 2030 under the SWAPO-party led government”. Such concern is misplaced and is expected from people with a short-slighted understanding, more particularly those who lack understanding of strategic planning and integrated sectoral planning.
Since independence Namibia has taken bold steps towards development objectives that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of the incoming generation to have a bright future.
To meet its goals, the SWAPO Party led government has adopted a unique planning system as its management tool, the Five-Year National Development Plan that started with NDP1 from 1995 to 2000 followed by NDP2 from 2001 to 2005.
Now the government is in the process of implementing NDP3 as from 2006-2010. These Strategic National Development Plans are known as Medium Term Plans and incorporate Namibia’s Vision 2030, “the blue-print policy framework strategy” that aims to ensure that by 2030, Namibia will be a prosperous and industrialized country with a developed human capital.
To achieve this, an enabling environment of good governance has been already put in place, to facilitate the Namibian people to use the resources for sustainable development to improve the quality of life of our people so as to enjoy prosperity, harmony, peace and political stability in Namibia by the year 2030.
It is therefore imperative, that in order to achieve the goals of human capital requirements as envisaged in 2010, “there is an urgent need to balance the supply and demand in the labour market and thereby achieve optimal improvement in our economy”.
Take Advantage
The Founding President, Dr Sam Nujoma, puts it correctly that “by Vision 2030, the country will operate a totally integrated, unified, flexible and high quality education and training system that prepares Namibian learners to take advantage of a rapidly changing global environment, including development of science and technology. This would in turn contribute to the economic and social development of the citizens.”
On our way towards Vision 2030, peace and security, decentralization and good governance, economic growth, health promotion, poverty reduction, education and training, information and communication technology and unemployment are priority issues on our development agenda.
As it was mentioned earlier, “Vision 2030 provides direction to government ministries, regional councils towards a prosperous society” and its policy framework for long-term national development covers the entire country.
Against this background, under Namibia’s Medium Term Planning [2006/2007-2008/2009] we look at the “winds of change” for Oshana Region Development Projects under NDP3, to establish where the region is today towards 2010. This is important to understand that regions are not left behind in the development process of the country on our way towards Vision 2030.
Oshana Region with a population of more that 161 000 people has been progressing well for the past few years with a good number of national development projects under implementation. The 5-Year National Development Plan’s “Winds of Change” of the 2006/2007-2009/2010 financial years have several projects to be implemented in the region.
During the financial year 2007/2008, the government, through its sectoral ministries, in consultation with Oshana Regional Council, has allocated N$203.2 million for the implementation of a number of development projects while others will be covered at a cost of N$116 million during the 2008/2009 financial year.
The government has also allocated N$167.3 million to Oshana Region for 2009/2010. These allocations of funds are earmarked for the development of Oshana Region alone during the forthcoming 3 years.
Under the 2007/2008 financial year, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration is expected to construct the Ondangwa Immigration Regional Office at a cost of more than N$4.2 million. This project is expected to be completed by the 2009/2010 financial year at a cost of N$7.6 million.
The government is also going to start constructing a sub-regional office at one constituency at a cost of N$402 000. This is in line with the government’s policy of decentralization that aims at taking government institutions closer to the people.
The Ministry of Safety and Security is in the process of constructing the Ongwediva Police Head Offices, upgrading police stations and renovating police facilities in the region at a cost of N$11 million during the 2007/2008 and 2009/2010 financial years.
These figures include the rehabilitation of the Oshakati police mortuary that was completed in 2005.
The Ministry of Defence put aside N$39.3 million for the construction of the Ondangwa Regional Defence Office with the research and development of the project commencing during the 2007/2008 financial year while the Ministry of Finance budgeted N$2.5 million for the construction of Oshakati Finance Regional Office during the same year.
The ministries of Health and Social Services, and Education, the sectors the government has put on the priority agenda since independence, have many projects to be implemented during the 2007/2008 – 2009/2010 financial years.
Education has 13 projects to be implemented while Health and Social Services has 14 projects that are earmarked for implementation.
Projects earmarked for implementation under education include;
upgrading of basic education facilities;
renovation of Ongwediva College of Education;
extension of Unam Oshakati Northern Campus;
renovation of schools in the region;
purchasing of equipment for Pearl Millet;
construction of Oshakati-West Primary School [completed];
construction of Eheke Secondary School [completed];
construction of Uukwangula Community Training Development Centre;
construction of Namcol Northern Regional Complex [completed];
construction of Ondangwa Junior Secondary School;
construction of Oshakati-East Primary School;
feasibility studies for identified education facilities; and upgrading electric, water heater with solar energy at some schools in the region.
Other projects earmarked for implementation under Health and Social Services include:
extension of Oshakati Intermediate Hospital;
construction of Primary Health clinics;
construction of Health Care centres;
continuous implementation of National AIDS Coordinating Programme;
implementation of sanitation programmes;
implementation of national TB programmes;
implementation of National Social Marketing Programmes;
implementation of Namibian HIV/AIDS Response Capacity Development Programme [EU/EC];
capital works, maintenance and repair programmes;
renovation of Regional Training Centre;
roll-back malaria initiative;
UNICEF Programme of maternal, child survival and development;
WHO malaria and TB programmes;
Volunteer Services Overseas and Namibia HIV/AIDS Programmes [UK]
Renovate
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare will construct the Oshakati Recreation Centre at a cost of N$4.4 million in 2010 while it will renovate its Ongwediva Regional Office for N$1.5 million during the 2007/2008 financial year.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has already constructed its satellite offices in Ondangwa and Oshakati towns.
Also the Ministry of Mines and Energy under its Rural Electrification Master Plan continues to invest N$6.1 million during the 2007/2008 to 2009/2010 financial years. It is also going to promote renewable energy efficiency at an estimated cost of N$53 million. The Ministry of Justice is in the process of constructing the Oshakati High Court Branch at a cost of N$54.4 million.
Another important project worth mentioning here, is the effort being done by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of constructing the Agro-Namibia Food Processing Centre in Oshakati-West at a cost of N$7.5 million aimed at investing in entrepreneurship development programmes and targeting women small and medium entrepreneurs, food manufacturing and processing mahangu food in various finished products.
These initiatives will bring women-in-business into the mainstream of economic activities in the region. More than N$900 000 has already been earmarked for the implementation of those projects during the 2007/2008 financial year.
The Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication plans to upgrade airport facilities, sewerage systems, the northern railway extension to Oshikango and Oshakati and the labour-based gravel road to Ompundja and Eheke Growth Centres as well as Omagongati Centre.
The Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development [MRLGHRD] is in the process of developing Uukwangula and Eheke settlement areas as well as the construction of constituency offices for Oshakati-West, Oshakati-East, Ongwediva, Okatana and Okaku constituencies.
Environment and Tourism is planning to upgrade the tourist road to Etosha Game Park, fencing the conservation area and providing water for game in those conservancies.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry will also provide funding during the 2007/2008 to 2009/2010 financial years to cover 15 development projects. These include:
rural secondary water pipeline construction;
integrated forest and fire management;
agricultural feasibility studies and surveys;
Namibia/Finland forestry programmes;
promotion of processing indigenous fruits and mahangu products;
community-based water management;
research and feasibility studies in water resource management;
rehabilitation of hydrological river gauging stations/networks;
integrated grain storage;
construction, renovating and upgrading of MAWF building;
construction of veterinary clinics;
tree-planting projects and feasibility studies;
improvement of animal health and marketing services;
joint Namibia/Angola bulk water supply;
fertilizer trials and seed subsidy.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources will upgrade the Ongwediva Hatchery and construct new offices at a cost of N$5.6 million while the Works, Transport and Communication Ministry will cover 7 development projects during the 2007/2008 – 2009/2010 financial years. These include:
renovation of minor capital projects;
infrastructure renovations;
upgrading of airports and aerodromes in the region;
construction of oxidation ponds and sewerage systems;
northern railway extension;
upgrading meteorological services; and, constructing the Omagongati labour-based gravel road.
The Ministry of Lands and Resettlement will cover four development projects that include:
regional integrated geodesy;
digital topographic map for Namibia [1-50 000];
digital topographic map for Namibia [1-200.00];
flexible land tenure system.
The National Planning Commission [NPC] will fund four digital development projects in the region, such as:
Namibia Participatory Poverty Assessment [PPA];
implementation of geographical information system;
decentralization demand-driven action of rural poverty reduction programme; and, 2008/2009 Namibia Household Income and expenditure survey.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will cover the Education Audio-Visual Network consolidation expansion of the NBC Transmitter network and upgrading of the NBC studio in Oshakati.
These are some of the national capital development projects that were implemented during NDP2 as well as during NDP3 that are in the process of implementation in the region. There are many more others that are currently under implementation in Ongwediva, Oshakati and Ondangwa Town that are not mentioned here for reasons of brevity.
Additionally, there are Regional Development Projects that have been initiated by the public in consultation with the Regional Council that are planned to be implemented by the sectoral line Ministries, Regional Councils, Town Council and Donor Agencies that are not included for the same reason.
This information is needed for public participation in the development of the region so that we know where Oshana Region is heading towards Vision 2030 and indeed to disseminate appropriate information about the region’s priorities in implementing capital development projects by the year 2010.
– Clemens Kashuupulwa is the Governor of Oshana Region.