Edgar Brandt
Windhoek-The lush green Zambezi Region has been allocated a total of N$358,719 million through the development budget for this financial year. The single biggest allocation of N$85 million goes to the construction of a 50-km stretch of gravel road from Isize to Schuckmannsburg.
The next biggest allocation goes to the Green Scheme in the region, which received N$28 million. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry – the line ministry for the Green Scheme – received a total N$63.41 million for projects that range from rural water supply to integrated forest resource management to the development of animal and plant health inspection centres at border entry posts.
Allocations N$20 million each have been granted to a number of projects, including the establishment of school hostels, upgrading and construction of lower courts, as well as the upgrading of Mpacha Airport. The upgrading to bitumen standard of the Liselo to Kongola road also received a total of N$20 million.
Overall, the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has been allocated N$37.9 million for projects that include school renovations and the construction of learning centres, teachers resource centres, community learning development centres and to build houses for teachers.
The Ministry of Rural and Urban Development will get to invest N$28 million in the Zambezi Region this financial year. The specific projects for this ministry include the construction of service infrastructure, as well as to build the Zambezi Regional Office Park, Linyanto Constituency Office and Kabbe South Constituency Office.
In total the Ministry of Works and Transport received quite a sizeable chunk of the 2017/18 development budget at close to N$138 million.
Projects for this ministry include developing a railway from Cape Fria to Katima Mulilo, upgrading network infrastructure and providing information technology services to regional offices, as well as upgrading vehicle and driver testing stations.
Funding was also availed for other health-related services in the region, including primary health care clinics, the upgrading of Katima Mulilo Hospital, as well as the maintenance and repair of critical health infrastructure.