KAPAKO - Leader of the Mbunza Traditional Authority, Chief Alfons Kaundu has welcomed the announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, that Bunya village in the Kapako Constituency in Kavango West will host SADC commemorations for this year’s World Food Day.

The event is set for next week Tuesday and it will be held under the theme, “Our actions are our future: a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible”.

“I feel very honoured and excited that this event has been brought to my people, this has never happened here, we are glad to host the event in my traditional jurisdiction which is also regarded as one of the poorest constituencies,” Kaundu said. World Food Day is celebrated globally each year in honour of the founding date of the FAO of the United Nations. The main objective of World Food Day is to create awareness around issues of global food insecurity. “Together with my subjects, we are prepared to see what the day will bring, we are prepared to go and listen to the good news that various guests will bring to us,” he added.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Percy Misika was on Friday quoted as having said “as the current chair of SADC, Namibia agreed to host and adopt the new regional approach”. “As part of the regional approach, ministers from South Africa (the immediate former chair of SADC), Tanzania (the next chair) of SADC, the SADC Secretariat and a Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Botswana; as well as different high commissioners and ambassadors to Namibia have been invited to take part in the celebrations,” he said.

Misika said the SADC committee of Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security during its meetings held in Ezulwini, eSwatini, in May 2017 approved the roll-out of the Model for the Regional World Food Day commemoration to be hosted in the countries designated as chair of SADC. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry in partnership with FAO as well as with support from the broader UN family and private sector in Namibia will observe World Food Day on 30 October.

Government ministries and agencies plus local private sector companies will showcase their products and services in the agricultural, fisheries, forestry, food and water sectors.
Bunya is a village located 88 kilometres east of Nkurenkuru.