WINDHOEK – The Kunene Region in the far northwest corner of the country has been allocated just over N$400 million in terms of the Development Budget for the 2019/20 financial year. The total budget for the region is anticipated to decrease during the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), reducing to N$321.3 million in 2020/21 and N$318 million in 2021/22.
By far the most significant allocation for the Kunene Region is N$156.5 million allocated for the construction of the Swakopmund to Henties Bay to Kamanjab Link, which covers a distance of 412 kilometres. This project, being implemented through the Ministry of Works and Transport, will receive additional allocations during the MTEF of N$52.9 million in 2020/21 and N$75 million in 2021/22. Another major project for the region is the construction of the Opuwo Aerodrome for which N$46.7 million has been allocated for the current financial year. This same project has been allocated another N$20.4 million for the 2020/21 financial year and this will also be implemented through the works ministry.
The relatively underdeveloped and often mountainous region has been allocated N$25 million for this financial year and N$25 million for the 2020/21 financial year for the Land Purchase Sub-Programme to be implemented through the Ministry of Land Reform. The same programme is set to receive N$28.5 million during the last year of the current MTEF in 2021/22.
One of the priority areas for the region is education, which has been allocated N$18 million to construct a primary school at Otuzemba. This school construction is anticipated to receive an additional N$15 million for each of the two years in the remainder of the MTEF, which will be implemented through the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. The education ministry has been granted N$8 million to renovate the Mureti Secondary School in Opuwo as well as N$3.7 million to renovate dilapidated schools through a project supported by the African Development Bank. The general renovation of schools in Kunene has been allocated N$3.1 million and N$3.5 million has been set aside to upgrade basic education facilities in the region.
Through the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the upgrading of the Opuwo hospital has received N$5 million while the maintenance and repair of health infrastructure was allocated N$2.8 million. Through the remainder of the MTEF the maintenance and repair of health infrastructure will increase to N$4.6 million in 2020/21 and N$4.2 million in 2021/22.
In terms of services infrastructure, including basic sanitation, the Kunene Region has been allocated a total of N$44 million for the current financial year. This is broken down into N$8 million for Otuzemba, N$3 million for basic sanitation in rural areas, N$7 million for Outjo, N$6 million for Khorixas, N$3 million for Fransfontein, N$8 million for Kamanjab, N$3 million for Sesfontein and N$6 million for Okanguati.