OMUTHIYA - Oshikoto region has received a total budget allocation of N$280 million to be spent on capital projects for the 2020/21 financial year.
Governor Penda Ya Ndakolo announced this last week during his state of the region address. Part of the funds would be used to construct a constituency office at Tsintsabis. Guinas is the only constituency without an administration office in its area of operation. “I should also express my gratitude to the government for approving the construction of Guinas constituency office at Tsintsabis,” he said. “The communities have been demanding for the office over a number of years. All stakeholders are requested to ensure speedy execution of projects in order to enhance the much-needed public services. Let us forge ahead in unison and handle issues professionally. Communication is key to solving problems.” According to the governor, only N$9 million was used on capital projects during the 2019/20 financial year, mainly for the food-for-work water connection programme and land servicing at Onayena and Oshivelo settlements through the construction of roads and installation of sewerage.
Business
In terms of business operation in the region, due to the impact of Covid-19, the governor said over 12 000 formal and informal traders lost income during stage 1 of the national lockdown, with many households finding it hard to put food on the table. He commended the government’s efforts to try and mitigate the situation by allowing vendors to operate, however, not all vendors could be accommodated under new setups.
Education
The state of education in the region is said to be stable even though there is a need to for rural school electrification to be intensified. There are 221 schools, of which 52 are without electricity, a further 22 do not have access to water. In addition, 52 schools are without proper ablution facilities. The directorate further spent N$22.6 million in funding to private schools and N$7 million on the school-feeding programme, under the 2019/20 financial year.
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, N$4 million was disbursed to schools to procure the necessary equipment and material in order to conform to health protocols.
Water
The directorate of rural and water supply was able to complete the Omuntele project that provided water to farmers in the arid salt area. Two boreholes in Nehale Lya Mpingana constituency were rehabilitated at a cost of N$400 000 and 15 boreholes were installed across the region at a cost of N$4.3 million. An additional 13 boreholes are still being drilled in Nehale Lya Mpingana at an estimated cost of N$2.2 million.
– osimasiku@nepc.com.na