Okashana
Deputy Minister of Urban and Rural Development Silvia Makgone yesterday said the improved regional development centre (RDC) at Okashana will change the lives of farmers.
The centre, situated in the Oshikoto Region, was recently refurbished by the government at a cost of N$7.5 million.
The RDC focuses mainly on training farmers and providing developmental services to communities in the region. In the past it only offered hospitality and outreach programmes due to a lack of infrastructure and resources.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the new RDC, Makgone said that rural communities in Oshikoto and the surrounding regions have experienced enormous challenges mainly related to access to agricultural production assets and appropriate technology.
“The ministry through the Oshikoto Regional Council noted this social challenge and committed ourselves to see that this problem is addressed accordingly. As a result the ministry mobilized resources …to respond to the public outcry,” she said.
The workshop at the centre was constructed to the tune of N$6 million for the purposes of research, and designing and developing appropriate technologies that are tailor-made to respond to the needs of rural communities. Some of the products of the RDC are animal feeds, drinking troughs, rural toilets to promote sanitation and hygiene, and the manufacturing of small farming implements, small vehicle parts and industrial machines, such as mahangu threshers and hammer mills.
Makgone said that the workshop has the potential to develop the skills of the youth through partnering with vocational institutions.
“”I would like to call upon all stakeholders to embrace the culture of co-ordination and show support to the Oshikoto Regional Council as well as the Okashana Rural Development Centre in managing this workshop efficiently,” the deputy minister said.
Martin Paulus, a villager in the area, said the project was a dream come true for youth that have very little access to vocational centres to up their skills and create self-employment.
“We will learn how to be self-reliant, I am very happy,” he said.
There are two other such centres in the country, namely, the Ben Hur and the Ongwediva rural development centres.
Makgone also revealed that there are plans by the government to build similar centres in seven other regions, namely Omusati, Ohangwena, //Karas, Hadap, Kavango, Kunene, and Zambezi.