Nuusita Ashipala
ONGWEDIVA – Re-elected chairperson of the Oshana Regional Council Gerson Hanu Kapenda said the council would for the next two and a half years under his term focus on capacitating the youth.
He said the council is concerned about youth employment, hence would channel efforts towards creating employment for the youth.
Such efforts would include prioritising the youth when awarding micro-finance projects allocated through the regional council.
“We will continue to empower the youth with the meagre resources we are getting from government. We want to ensure that our youth have resources at their disposal,” said Kapenda. Kapenda made the remarks in a recent interview after he was re-elected as the chairperson of the Oshana Regional Council and chairperson of the management committee on Monday.
Also retaining their seats as members of the management committee are the councillor of Ondangwa Urban, Elia Irimari, Andreas Uutoni of Ongwediva Constituency and the councillor of Ompundja, Adolf Uunona.
He said it is the council’s wish to see the youth become successful individual partners so that they can also create employment for others.
So far about 113 youths were employed permanently in the public service through the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, the Governor of Oshana Region Clemens Kashuupulwa said during his State of the Region Address last month.
Kashuupulwa said 1,184 jobs are to be created through implementation of the rural development programme.
Highlighting some of the achievements during the last two years, Kapenda said the leadership has ensured that all government offices are electrified.
“All our government offices including schools in the region now have access to electricity,” Kapenda said. Equally, the chairperson said the region has also made good strides to enhance food security in the region.
He added that many of the region’s inhabitants now have backyard gardens and are able to provide food for themselves and the surrounding community, and subsequently an income.