Tauno Iileka
GOBABIS – Omaheke Regional Council chief regional officer Maria Vaendwanawa has announced that the council has allocated N$8.5 million to 128 community projects through its community development programme.
She said the N$8.5 million authorised by the line ministry, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, was collected from various sources such as savings and interest accrued on capital project funds.
Each of the seven constituencies in the region received an equal allocation of N$1. 2 million under the programme. The regional council is busy determining the total number of beneficiaries of the various projects.
Under the programme, Vaendwanawa said, constituencies have the privilege to decide on the types of projects to be funded, depending on their specific needs.
“The projects each received an allocation ranging from N$10 000 to N$600 000. The biggest amounts are allocated for electricity connection to households in Epukiro constituency’s Okomumbonde village, N$700 000; and Otjinene constituency’s Ozohambo village, N$500,000,” she said.
These funds have been paid to the central northern regional electricity distribution company, Cenored, to connect electricity at households.
She said Gobabis constituency used N$292 000 of its allocation to procure 15 hammer mills for small stock farmers, which would assist in efforts to mitigate the effects of the drought by allowing small-scale farmers to produce fodder.
She said N$445 000 was allocated for drilling and cleaning boreholes in Kalahari constituency also to assist in the mitigation of the effects of the drought by providing water to the communities.
She said other projects allocated substantial amounts include a grass-cutting project in Okorukambe constituency, which was allocated N$600 000, the construction of auction pens at Eiseb in Otjombinde constituency which was allocated N$400 000 and a crop farming project in Aminuis constituency which was allocated N$140 000.
“The rest of the projects supported are in categories of small and medium enterprise (SME) development, livestock farming, housing, dairy production, infrastructure development, manufacturing, rural sanitation and solar power,” said the chief regional officer.
She said four schools in the region, namely Rietquelle Secondary, Izak Buys Secondary and Dr Fischer Primary School in Aminuis constituency, and C. Heuva Secondary School in Otjombinde constituency, are also benefiting from the programme in the form of building materials, computers and stationery as requested by the schools.
According to Vaendwanawa the regional council implements and oversees rural projects by ensuring successful project beneficiaries are informed about their funding and ensuring their required items are purchased, as well as delivering the purchased items, overseeing implementation of the projects and monitoring the projects afterwards.
“To ensure that funds are indeed used for the intended purpose the regional council procures the items and materials required by the beneficiaries, in line with procurement procedures,” she said, adding that some project equipment, materials and tools have already been purchased and distributed, while procurement for others is ongoing.