Day: April 23, 2023

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform said it has received an additional list of over 160 schools that require water, especially in the Kavango East, Zambezi, Omusati, Oshikoto, Ohangwena, Kavango West and Kunene regions.

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, said this in a statement read on his behalf at the event recognizing the Open Defecation Free Status of sections of the Samora Machel and Moses //Garoeb constituencies in Windhoek on Saturday.

“My ministry has been mandated to provide access to portable water to rural communities and resettlement farmers and contribute towards the provision of improved sanitation services to all beneficiaries of its programmes and projects,” Schlettwein is quoted as saying.

He said with regard to sanitation coordination, the country is not doing so well, thus, the ministry has embarked on practical efforts aimed at scaling up construction of sanitation facilities countrywide.

Schlettwein explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry collaborated with the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture to connect over 200 schools to water sources across the country.

However, the ministry recently received an additional list of over 160 schools that require water.

“The ministry has begun to address this request. Through the Namibia Water Sector Support Program, we will construct sanitation facilities at 56 schools, 15 clinics across the country and public places respectively,” he noted.

The key targets for 2023 are,the establishment of a reliable early warning system, commencement of the bidding process for Oshakati Treatment Plant, Ohangwena Wellfield, Ruacana South Water Supply Scheme (WSS), Katima-Kongola WSS, and Iitapa - Okeeholongo WSS, he said.

Other key targets include the drilling of boreholes for crocodile prone villages along the rivers, finalization of negotiations with Angola on the commissioning of Caluegue pumpstation, the finalisation of negotiations with South Africa on the Orange River and the desire by Namibia to construct a dam at Vioolsdrift.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongwela-Amadhila, on Sunday afternoon survived a road accident involving three vehicles on the B1 road outside Otjiwarongo.

The premier’s official luxury black Toyota Land Cruiser V8 Sport Utility Vehicle allegedly rolled twice before coming to halt at approximately 170 metres from where a side-swipe collision had occurred.

Namibian Police Force’s Otjozondjupa Regional Commander, Commissioner Heinrich Tjiveze in an interview with Nampa at the accident scene confirmed the collision saying the accident occurred at about 15 kilometres south of Otjiwarongo on the B1 road, without providing further details.

However, two police officers who arrived on the scene earlier told this news agency on condition of anonymity that the prime minister was taken to Windhoek in a stable condition.

It is alleged that her official vehicle bumped into the rear right side of a 16-seater bus which was transporting four officials of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN).

The ECN officials, including the 44-year-old male driver, also survived the accident.

The prime minister’s motorcade was travelling from the direction of Otjiwarongo towards Okahandja, while the other two vehicles which were headed in the opposite.

The constable police officers further stated that a third vehicle which was involved was being operated by tourists and they also survived the accident.

Police investigations in the matter continue.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

Angolan diplomat considered the mobilisation of financing for developing countries a big challenge for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The statement came from the charge d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of Angola to the United Nations in New York João Gimolieca, at the UN headquarters.

The diplomat, who was speaking at the Forum on Financing for Development, said that this challenge also has an impact on the implementation of Agenda 2063: The Africa we want.

“Now, we live in multiple and interconnected global crises and we must embrace change by taking immediate action to increase development cooperation and investments in the SDGs, reform the international financial architecture, strengthen cooperation on macroeconomic policies and implement actions to accelerate sustainable development in support of developing countries”, he pointed out.

According to João Gimolieca, Angola welcomes the efforts made by the UN Secretary General to fill the SDG funding gap and looks forward to further discussions on the proposal to stimulate the SDGs.

The aim, he said, is to address the high cost of debt and the rising risks of rising sovereign debt, to massively increase long-term financing for development and to expand contingency finance to countries in need.

For the diplomat, new and additional climate finance for developing countries is extremely important to help and support the implementation of policies for mitigation and adaptation to climate change and to improve access to this climate finance.

During his speech, he highlighted the urgent need for developed countries to provide the means of implementation necessary for developing countries to face climate change, including concessional financing, at least double the adaptation financing, as well as to finalise the operation of the damages and facilitate the full transfer of technology and technical assistance necessary for just transitions.

He highlighted that, despite the vigorous reforms implemented over the last five years by the Government, which created the necessary conditions for the sustainable development of the country, Angola has experienced successive periods of economic recession, to which are added the negative effects of the current health and geopolitical tensions, which resulted in the deterioration of indicators socioeconomic.

In view of this situation, he added, the Government of Angola was forced to review its development strategies, having defined three priority areas for the next 2023-2027 Development Plan, the first being the development of human capital, with the aim of increasing productivity.

Second, expansion and modernisation of infrastructure, to improve mobility, and third, diversification of the economy, with a focus on food security.

The Ambassador emphasized that funding in these three areas is crucial to achieving and fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In the opening session on Monday (17), the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called on the group of the largest global economies, the G20, for a stimulus of at least 500 billion dollars a year so that the economies in development achieve global goals.

The four-day high-level meeting addressed threats to sustainable progress.

Source: Angola Press News Agency