The Kavango West Region is set to benefit hugely from spending by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, which has for the current financial year set aside more than N$72,55 million for livestock management, improving animal health, supporting irrigation systems, distributing livestock in communal areas, and for debushing.
The green scheme in the region received N$40 million, while a significant amount has been allocated to ensure efficient water resources management. Money has also been allocated to ensure the future supply of water by monitoring underground water sources, constructing dams, wells and drinking pans for livestock.
To complement the spending on agriculture, the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development has also allocated N$5 million for the development of agro-processing in the region.
The development budget for Kavango West this year amounts to N$326,7 million.
The trade ministry is spending a total of N$20,5 million in the region on the construction of regional offices, upgrading the infrastructure of the Namibia Development Corporation (NDC) – which supports small and medium enterprises in the country – as well as on developing export-processing zones in Kavango West.
The construction of constituency offices for Mankumbi, Tondoro, Ncamagoro and Mpungu constituencies has been budgeted for, with each constituency office allocated N$3 million by the Ministry of Rural and Urban Development in construction funds for this year.
There would also be a regional office park for Kavango West, which the ministry has budgeted N$18 million for. A rural development centre is also being set up in the region at a cost of N$13 million, while the ministry has allocated N$20 million for the second phase of constructing of service infrastructure in Nkurenkuru.
Setting up basic service infrastructure for Katwitwi has been budgeted at N$5 million.
The Ministry of Justice is also setting up lower courts in the region, at a cost of N$2 million. The safety ministry has allocated more than N$46,2 million to strengthen police presence in the region. The money would see the construction of two police stations, one at Nkurenkuru and the other at Mpungu.
The Nkurenkuru police station would be the biggest, at a cost of N$14,95 million this year alone. It is expected to be completed in three year’s time, while the police station at Mpungu would cost N$3,7 million this year.
Money would also be spent on constructing police accommodation facilities and the renovation of existing facilities. The safety ministry will also construct new regional police headquarters in Kavango West at a cost of N$5 million this year.
The home affairs ministry is spending more than N$1,6 million to construct housing for staff members at Katwitwi border post, as well as regional offices.
The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture has allocated nearly N$30,34 million to upgrade schools, such as Bravel Primary School, to construct hostels, teachers’ houses and upgrade pre-primary school facilities.
The health ministry has allocated N$43 million to upgrade primary healthcare facilities in the region and to renovate the Nkurenkuru District Hospital.
The energy ministry is spending N$3,5 million on rural electrification, while the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare would spend N$2,8 million on setting up regional and constituency offices.
The fisheries ministry would spend N$3,3 million on renovating and upgrading the aquaculture development project in the region.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia would also set up a regional office at a cost of N$1,52 million. The veteran ministry would spend N$4,2 million on constructing veterans’ houses, while the land reform ministry would spend N$3,6 million on developing communal areas and on resettlement projects.
The works and transport ministry would spend N$16,24 million on upgrading the gravel road between Tsintsabis and Gava, as well as the gravel road between Mpora and Bravo. The ministry is also going to upgrade the vehicle and driver-testing station in the region, as well as to maintain the paved and non-paved roads in the region.
