Shoki Kandjimi  

RUNDU – The governor of the Kavango East region, Bonifatius Wakudumo, has called on local and foreign investors to invest in the region while making reference to the political stability and investment-friendly environment in the region.  The governor made this call when delivering his maiden state of the region address on Friday in Rundu.  

“The Kavango East region is open for investment owing to our political stability and climatic environment, hence my call and invitation to local and foreign investors to come on board and invest in the region,” Wakudumo said. 
He further said the region is faced with numerous challenges that the government alone would not be able to solve, therefore investors should meet government halfway by investing in the region. Some of the major challenges he highlighted in his statement were poor network and lack of telecommunication coverage in most rural constituencies, especially in small-scale farming areas, and the high unemployment rate amongst the youth. 

Despite all the challenges faced by the region, Wakudumo says the regional government will promote the provision of feeder roads, water infrastructure and organise markets for small-scale farmers and horticulture 
producers. 
For the next financial year the regional government will also nurture the restructuring of the agriculture and construction sectors, and the use of natural resources such as timber and thatched grass. The alleviation of poverty and the youth unemployment rate remains a top priority on the governor’s agenda.  

Wakudumo maintains that the Kavango East region offers a range of opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, telecommunication and construction, among others, in which business people can invest.  
“Kavango East is a zone of social and economic opportunities that promise to offer better living standards to all Namibians. It is a beacon of hope in our democracy which continues to function and provide socio-political space for the implementation of government policies and programmes aimed at transforming the general populace and improving the living conditions of our people,” Wakudumo noted.  
The government has allocated over N$216 million for the 2020/2021 financial year to accelerate service delivery and infrastructure development in the region.