Deputy minister of works and transport Veikko Nekundi officiated at the ground-breaking for the construction of the Endola-Eembo district road in Ohangwena region on Thursday.
District road 4113 starts from main road 120 at Endola settlement, extending in the northern direction to the intersection with the Outapi-Omafo district road and ends at Eembo settlement.
At the official groundbreaking ceremony, Nekundi said the ministry is committed to ensuring progressive transformation reaches into rural communities to guarantee they benefit from development.
He stressed the ministry adheres to the principle of enhancing rehabilitation and development of all sectors, as well as maintenance of transport infrastructure as the priority, which could help the country reduce poverty.
This road is co-funded by the Federal Republic of Germany through a German state-owned development bank and Namibia. The total cost of the project is N$73 million and the construction period is 18 months. This new district road is 20 kilometres long and will be constructed to gravel standards.
“The construction of this gravel road will be done through labour-based methods – and as a result, approximately 100 jobs will be created. This is indeed commendable, as our rural areas are characterised by high levels of poverty, and limited economic and employment opportunities,” He added.
Nekundi said this project will contribute significantly to the development of the Ohangwena region. “Various environmental and social benefits are expected from this project. For example, public transport is expected to increase for the benefits of the majority of people who don’t own vehicles,” He added.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by the community members, traditional leaders and the regional councillors.
The governor of Ohangwena, Walde Ndevashiya, applauded the German government for funding this project.
Ndevashiya says the Roads Authority should continue to take development to all corners of Namibia.