34 Kavango West schools without electricity
Kavango West Region governor Sirkka Ausiku has taken aim at government for neglecting her region as far as the provision of electricity is concerned, saying about 34 schools and a number of settlements remain in the dark.
She made the remarks during the official inauguration of 14 rural electrification projects in the region.
She said although the recent development is commendable, a lot still needs to be done.
“The region has mixed feelings. Although we appreciate the implementation of these 14 projects, statistics are telling us a different story.
“The fact is the region is highly rural and the provision of rural electrification is still a challenge. We fail to understand why there is huge backlog of 34 schools not yet electrified, while some regions have completed this a long time ago.
“How did we plan this programme at the beginning? How can the region grow its local economy if basic infrastructure like electricity, water, feeder roads and communication networks are not available in most of the villages, as highlighted in the 2021 Multidimensional Poverty Index Report?”
Bias
Ausiku urged officials in the relevant ministries to be fair to all regions.
The governor added that she feels there is bias in terms of the allocation of resources.
“These ministries and their agencies like NamPower, NamWater, Roads Authority, Telecom and MTC are applying unconscious bias when it comes to the allocation of resources and implementation of projects in some regions,” she said.
“These offices, ministries and agencies continue to disregard official statistics when allocating resources and do whatever they want. My appeal is that they must be guided by the available statistics to achieve prosperity for all Namibians.”
Transformative power
At the same event, mines minister Tom Alweendo said the ministry is aware of the challenges related to electrification in Kavango West.
“We intend to electrify all these schools by 2025,” he said.
“Moreover, I am pleased to share that our government has recently approved the national electrification policy, a visionary document that shifts our focus from schools and public institutions to households, once we have achieved the goal of the second Harambee Prosperity Plan, which is the electrification of all schools.
“The policy aims to electrify all households by 2040, thereby bringing the transformative power of electricity into every Namibian home,” he said.
[email protected]
She made the remarks during the official inauguration of 14 rural electrification projects in the region.
She said although the recent development is commendable, a lot still needs to be done.
“The region has mixed feelings. Although we appreciate the implementation of these 14 projects, statistics are telling us a different story.
“The fact is the region is highly rural and the provision of rural electrification is still a challenge. We fail to understand why there is huge backlog of 34 schools not yet electrified, while some regions have completed this a long time ago.
“How did we plan this programme at the beginning? How can the region grow its local economy if basic infrastructure like electricity, water, feeder roads and communication networks are not available in most of the villages, as highlighted in the 2021 Multidimensional Poverty Index Report?”
Bias
Ausiku urged officials in the relevant ministries to be fair to all regions.
The governor added that she feels there is bias in terms of the allocation of resources.
“These ministries and their agencies like NamPower, NamWater, Roads Authority, Telecom and MTC are applying unconscious bias when it comes to the allocation of resources and implementation of projects in some regions,” she said.
“These offices, ministries and agencies continue to disregard official statistics when allocating resources and do whatever they want. My appeal is that they must be guided by the available statistics to achieve prosperity for all Namibians.”
Transformative power
At the same event, mines minister Tom Alweendo said the ministry is aware of the challenges related to electrification in Kavango West.
“We intend to electrify all these schools by 2025,” he said.
“Moreover, I am pleased to share that our government has recently approved the national electrification policy, a visionary document that shifts our focus from schools and public institutions to households, once we have achieved the goal of the second Harambee Prosperity Plan, which is the electrification of all schools.
“The policy aims to electrify all households by 2040, thereby bringing the transformative power of electricity into every Namibian home,” he said.
[email protected]
Kommentaar
Republikein
Geen kommentaar is op hierdie artikel gelaat nie