NKURENKURU - Since 2017 the Nkurenkuru Town Council is still waiting for the attorney-general’s approval to enable it to enter into a private-public partnership (PPP) with the Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) in order for it to service 333 residential plots.

The proposal document was submitted in 2017 but to date no feedback has been received, says the town’s CEO Petrus Sindimba. “Beginning of this month we followed up with our line ministry but they are also awaiting a response from the AG’s office,” he said.

“I don’t understand why it’s taking long since we are both government entities – we need this project for our town’s growth; you know this is a regional capital for Kavango West so the demand for serviced land is increasing on a daily basis,” he continued.

“People who are coming to work here need serviced land to build on and so on but though we have vast land there are few serviced plots and the serviced ones are all given out, or not fully serviced, and you know towns are encouraged by government to enter into PPP agreements to deliver services to our people, which is what pushed us to opt for an agreement like this one. And according to DBN, once council receives the approval, they will start with the procurement process which will lead to appointing a contractor to begin,” he added.

Extension 6 which is earmarked to be serviced is also where the police headquarters, the state hospital and the home affairs regional office are planned to be allocated along with Welwitschia University and the Vocational Training Centre, to name a few.

Sindimba said that DBN has already committed funds for the project to service 333 erven. He says they are just waiting for the attorney-general to approve the PPP and then they will start with the servicing of the erven. 
“Council approved the agreement and following procedures the council forwarded it to our line ministry, Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, which then forwarded it to the AG to be scrutinised for approval and once that happens it will make way for us to ink that deal with DBN,” Sindimba noted.

In the deal Nkurenkuru will be required to avail unserviced land and DBN will then provide the funding to service this land by putting up services like water, roads, electricity, sewer and pump stations and after servicing this land, DBN and Nkurenkuru will sell the plots and share the profit after DBN has subtracted its development cost. Of the profit Nkurenkuru will get 70 percent while DBN will get 30 percent.

“It’s a full extension that we have planned to service through this agreement – it will be done on Nkurenkuru Extension 6. We want it fully serviced and we are looking at 333 plots,” he 
said.