OTJINENE: Omaheke Regional Governor, Laura McLeod-Katjirua has praised Government for constructing roads through a labour-intensive method, noting that such mode of construction has been instrumental in the provision of much-needed employment for locals.

McLeod-Katjirua, who was speaking at the official opening ceremony of the Gobabis-Otjinene road on Friday, said the fact that many of the roads constructed across the country now use locals for debushing and other manual labour deserves recognition and praise.

She said about 300 people, mainly from the Otjinene and neighbouring Epukiro constituencies, were hired during the approximately three-year construction period.

The ground-breaking ceremony took place in 2009.

The Omaheke Governor said the TR 14/02 road upgrade project linking Gobabis and Otjinene provided much-needed employment to mainly women and youth, who would often find it hard to secure similar jobs elsewhere.

“It is indeed a welcomed boost for the local economy when we see our people working on roads that will service their own areas. Not only is it a feasible means of providing employment, but also an opportunity for locals to take ownership of Government projects coming to them,” she said.

McLeod-Katjirua urged members of the community using the road to do so with extreme care, as the repair and maintenance of such roads often result in unnecessary spending for Government.

“This is your road and you should take good care of it. It now makes it easier for you to travel to Gobabis, and as such you ought to give something back to Government as a token of your appreciation, by taking good care of the road,” she noted.

The first phase of the road – covering some 157 kilometres – was officially opened by the Namibian Head of State, Hifikepunye Pohamba.

The remaining three kilometres will be catered for during the second phase of the project, envisaged to start mid-2013.