Patience Makwele
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform is moving to revive the long-dormant Rundu Technology Centre.
The N$36 million facility has struggled to fulfil its mandate since its establishment more than a decade ago.
The ministry recently held stakeholder consultations in Rundu to map out a recovery plan for the centre, which was originally created to support agricultural mechanisation for green scheme irrigation projects and subsistence farmers across Namibia.
The centre is expected to reopen in the next three months.
Speaking during the engagement, director of agricultural production Ben Haraseb said the ministry is reassessing the deployment strategy and operational capacity of the facility after years of underperformance despite significant government investment.
“It is very crucial for us to relook at the strategy of the deployment under this technology centre,” Haraseb said.
The Rundu Technology Centre was established in 2015 to provide repairs, maintenance and manufacturing services for agricultural machinery used by green scheme projects and emerging farmers.
Haraseb said assessments have already been conducted to determine which equipment remains available and what gaps need to be addressed before operations can fully resume.
He said the ministry plans to expand the centre’s role beyond government projects by offering services to private farmers and other agricultural stakeholders to improve financial sustainability.
“We are also looking at expanding the mandate in terms of providing services to the various stakeholders. Whether it is an individual farmer or individuals who want to be assisted through the technology centre, we are willing to do that,” he said.
According to Haraseb, the long-term goal is for the centre to generate its own income instead of relying entirely on government funding.
The revival process has also exposed concerns over technical capacity and skills shortages.
The acting manager of the Sikondo Green Scheme, Maxwell Nghidinwa, encouraged communities to begin using the center for technical support and spare parts.
He said storage facilities still contain components compatible with several tractor models currently used by farmers.
Farmers attending the consultation welcomed the plans but warned that machinery alone would not solve the sector’s problems.
Farmer Amulungu Katumbe said the shortage of trained personnel and engineers remains a major challenge.
“The only problem that we are encountering is that the expertise is not available to operate the machines,” Katumbe said.
He urged the government to prioritise technical training and recruit engineers to ensure the centre operates properly.
Agricultural economist Mateus Hailonga said the revival would only succeed if the government addresses what he described as a long-standing pattern of underused agricultural infrastructure.
“The government has invested heavily in mechanisation projects over the years, but sustainability has always been the challenge. These centres often start with strong political momentum but collapse because of weak maintenance systems, shortage of technical expertise and poor business planning,” Hailonga said.
He warned that reopening the centre without a proper operational model and skilled personnel could lead to another costly failure.
Hailonga added that the ministry should partner with technical institutions and the private sector to strengthen training, repairs and supply chain support.
Independent agricultural consultant Maria Shidute said reviving the centre could help communal farmers in Kavango East and West, where access to machinery repairs and spare parts remains limited and costly.
“Many farmers lose productive time because tractors and implements remain broken for months while waiting for parts or technicians from Windhoek. If this centre functions properly, it can reduce costs and improve productivity in the region,” Shidute said.
She also called on the ministry to prioritise youth training programs linked to the center in order to create jobs in agricultural engineering and machinery maintenance.
