WINDHOEK – The Zambezi Region has been allocated N$310.6 million for its Development Budget for 2019/20. As announced by Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein during his budget speech, the overall development amount for the region is set to increase during the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), to N$322.2 million in 2020/21 before surging further to N$363.4 million in the 2021/22 financial year.
The most noteworthy expenditure for the current financial year on the Zambezi Region’s Development Budget is N$60 million for the construction of a 50km stretch of gravel road from Isize to Sifuha to Malindi to Schuckmannsburg. This project being implemented through the Ministry of Works and Transport, will receive an additional N$50.3 million in 2020/21 and another N$80 million in 2021/22. The same ministry is implementing the upgrading of the Mpacha Airport which has been allocated N$10,2 million for 2019/20 and an additional N$15 million for 2020/21.
Then, an amount of N$11.5 million has been set aside for the Ministry of Safety and Security for the construction of housing accommodation at border posts and outposts.
A sizeable allocation has also been made to the Ministry of Defence of which N$15 million has been allocated for the construction of the Mpacha Military Base. The military base has been allocated an additional N$10.5 million for the remainder of the MTEF, split into N$5 million and N$5.5 million for 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively. The Ministry of Defence was also allocated N$10 million for the rehabilitation of old bases. These rehabilitation is set to receive N$6.2 million in 2020/21 and N$4.5 million in 2021/22.
The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has received an allocation of N$10 million for the construction of a Community Learning Development Centre at Ngoma. The said ministry has also received a total of N$25 million over the MTEF (N$5 million: 2019/20; N$10 million: 2020/21; and N$10 million: 2021/22) to construct a combined school in Katima Mulilo.
An amount of N$10.3 million has been set aside for the Ministry of Justice to upgrade and construct lower courts in the Zambezi Region. Services infrastructure in the Zambezi Region has been allocated a combined N$17 million for the current financial year. This amount, to be implemented through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development) will be spend on providing services infrastructure in Sangwali (N$1 million), Lusese (N$3 million), Sibbinda (N$1 million), Ngoma (N$2 million), Bukalo Phase 1 (N$6 million), Chichimane (N$1 million) and Kongola (N$3 million). These same areas are set to receive an additional N$18.7 million during the 2020/21 financial year for services infrastructure.
Other notable allocations for the Zambezi Region during the current financial year include N$30 million for Green Schemes, which are set to receive N$50 million in 2020/21 and another N$60 million in 2021/22. Also, the Kalimbeza Rice Project was allocated N$10 million for this financial year, which will be topped by N$4.8 million in 2020/21 and N$6 million in 2021/22. Another project for the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry is the Namibia Agriculture Mechanisation and See Improvement Project which has been allocated N$10.8 million for the current financial year. During the MTEF, this project will receive an additional N$10.8 million in 2020/21 and N$8 million in 2021/22.