Khomas region: Khomas Region Governor Sam Nujoma in his State of the Region Address on Thursday, acknowledged the ongoing challenges the region faces in achieving its goals and highlighted plans to address the prevailing issues. 'I have set before this house a year of progress and resilience. But an honest account demands that I name the social and structural challenges that continue to confront our region and that demand urgent, coordinated attention,' he remarked.
According to Namibia Press Agency, despite the challenges of rapid urbanisation and limited resources, Nujoma remains confident that the region is healthy, strong, stable and resilient. But acknowledged that further efforts are necessary. He pointed out key challenges, particularly issues with learner placements in schools, which are straining teacher-learner ratios.
Nujoma also highlighted delays in contractor appointments, emphasising that finalising the Bill of Quantities is a significant barrier to starting construction on basic sports facilities. He stated that safety and security services are under pressure, with both the Namibian Police and the City Police reporting staffing shortages amid increasing incidents of housebreaking, vehicle theft, and emerging crimes like cybercrime.
He further argued that the lack of adequate urban and rural land for development hinders meaningful infrastructure progress and housing delivery, adding that ongoing rural-urban migration is exacerbating resource constraints, impacting regional development and access to clean water, sanitation, and school placements. Nujoma pointed to growing income inequality as a structural challenge that demands coordinated social and economic interventions, highlighting that housing delivery is hampered by land scarcity, high costs, outdated sewer infrastructure, bureaucratic procurement processes, and a lengthy township establishment timeline.
'All of these delay the provision of dignified shelter for the region's most vulnerable residents,' he said. To address these challenges and foster a prosperous future, Nujoma recommends expediting the 2018 Land Conference resolutions and Ancestral Land Commission recommendations for creating communal areas, promptly enacting the Constituency Development Fund Bill, and diversifying road and transport financing through public-private partnerships.
He said the region is committed to further development and positive change, driven by the timely execution of government policies, programmes and projects. 'This is not to pretend that all is well. It would be dishonest to overlook the wide discrepancies of wealth that still divide us, or the informal settlements that continue to grow at the edges of our city,' he concluded.