Martin Endjala
The Kavango East Regional Governor, Bonifatius Wakudumo believes that there is a dire need to evaluate industries which can create sustainable employment.
He is of the opinion that with the proper implementation and establishment of Green Schemes, agriculture can be a huge enabler for addressing unemployment.
The Governor said this while attending a public hearing on Youth Unemployment by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources and Community Development on Wednesday.
“Irrespective of the issues we have as political parties, the real issue here is youth unemployment,” said Wakudumo.
The Governor pointed out that the region has the capacity to tackle some of the issues such as food insecurity and unemployment if evaluations are carried out to identify the root causes. He added that there is a need for capital injections into some of the region’s projects.
Meanwhile, Vincent Kanyetu, the Secretary General of the All People’s Party in an interview with this publication said that the region has huge potential but due to a lack of political will and political push and pulls, the region is not receiving the attention it truly deserves.
Kanyetu expressed that the government doesn’t seem to care, adding that there is a disparity in the allocation of funds when compared to other regions such as Oshana and Omusati. He maintained that as long as this discrimination continues, the region will not reach its full potential and he urged private investors to head their call and invest in the region. He added that he believes that the region has the capacity to be the country’s food baskets.
Kanyetu noted that the only way to add value to local products is by producing them and that it is only possible if all industry role players come together and invest in agriculture.
He extended his condolences to the family which suffered the sudden death of 16 relatives due to poisoning.
Kanyetu blamed hunger and poverty for the tragedy and said that if the family had not been struggling, the tragedy could have been avoided.
Nono Katjingisiua, the standing committee’s chairperson also extended condolences on behalf of the Committee to the bereaved family. Calling for calmness and allowing the police to conduct their investigations to get to the bottom of the matter.
Not long ago, the Rudnu Constituency Councillor Paulus Mbangu called on the Office of the Prime Minister to declare the region as a drought risk region. He has since requested for the roll out of drought relief in the region.
