Shoki Kandjimi

RUNDU – Kavango East governor Bonifatius Wakudumo has rejected the notion the region is one of the poorest in the country while citing its fertile soil and the accessibility to water. 
The governor made these remarks while addressing farmers during Agribank’s stimulus relief package engagement session in Rundu on Tuesday.  
“I cannot believe that we can be regarded as the poorest region in the midst of water in abundance and fertile soil. The climate condition in this region is favourable in terms of agriculture,” Wakudumo said. 
He further acknowledged the statistics released on poverty but was confident his region was the breadbasket of the country.  
According to the National Planning Commission’s 2015 report on poverty and deprivation in Namibia, the two Kavango regions were classified as the poorest region after the two regions recorded a combined 53.2% poverty headcount. 
The report further indicated that out of the estimated 568 418 poor people in Namibia, 21% are from the two Kavango regions, which has a high unemployment rate.  
Wakudumo also called on Agribank and its top management to partner with his office as he plans to make the agriculture sector more productive and sustainable. 
He also urged the Agribank CEO to visit the Kavango East region to familiarise himself with agricultural projects in the region. 
“I want Agribank to come on board. In terms of land, I have a good relationship with the traditional authorities and we can avail massive land for agricultural purposes,” he stressed.  
On his part, Agribanks CEO Sakaria Nghikembua welcomed the governor’s proposal and assured him of the bank’s commitment towards engagements with the regional leadership and farmers. 
“We are fully aligned in terms of our thinking. My team and I attach quite a lot of value to these engagements. We stand ready to engage,” Nghikembua said. 
Agribank is on a nationwide awareness roadshow under the theme ‘Let’s Talk’ to share information about the bank’s stimulus relief package to farmers in the Kavango East region. 
The roadshow was rollout in the Khomas region in July 2020 and it is expected to end in the Zambezi region on Friday.