Otjinene village in the Omaheke region has been experiencing a relatively high investor inflow for the past years.
Otjinene Village Council CEO Ingenesia Kaveterua said this is mainly due to the village’s comparative strategic location.
Otjinene is the district capital of the Otjinene constituency. It is further connected via a 157km tarred road to the regional capital Gobabis, and via a 227 kilometres road - which was tarred in 2017 - from Otjinene to Grootfontein.
“We can actually cater for the surrounding towns, and so the buying power is here. This is attracting a lot of retailing investors in the village, helping fight unemployment and poverty in the constituency as a whole,” Kaveterua stated.
The council will soon commence with the development of Otjinene’s strategic plan. This comprehensive needs assessment of the whole village is in the pipeline to assist in identifying problems, and directing these to the relevant authorities.
The majority of the community around Otjinene are communal farmers, farming mainly with cattle, goats and sheep.
The chairperson of the village council, Sylvester Kavita, said the council is pulling all the strings to ensure the village keeps afloat in terms of economic activities. “In terms of our economy, I think we have performed adequately. That is why we are a target to many in terms of investments,” he added, noting that the priority areas in the community is farming, with the main attraction being retail activities.
Kavita said the council availed a piece of land for small-scale agricultural projects, specifically targeted at the youth, to help build the village in terms of food security, employment and fighting poverty.
Housing demands remain very high in the area, but he thanked the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN) for coming on board to help address this challenge.
Otjinene Expo
Meanwhile, the annual Otjinene Expo aims to put the town of Otjinene on the map by attracting more investors and to showcase Omaheke’s aptitude for rearing cattle. The fifth edition of the event is slated for 24 to 30 April.
This year’s edition is considered bigger and better, and is expected to provide a slightly different flavour compared to previous years, as it marks its 5th anniversary since the event’s commencement in 2016. Due to the global pandemic, the event was cancelled in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
This year, a wide range of events and attractions are expected, varying from sports, a gala dinner and various conferences.