Hundreds of residents in the Otjozondjupa Region on Wednesday gathered at Otjiwarongo for their 2023 State of the Region Address (SoRA).

Governor James Uerikua delivered the SoRA at the Otjozondjupa Regional Council Chambers where more than 200 community members and various heads of Government ministries, local authority and traditional authority councils were present.

Uerikua at the event highlighted the road network development activities taking place in the constituencies, settlements and towns of the region.

He then talked about the completed capital projects under the regional council and those of the different directorates of agriculture, lands, forestry, safety and security as well as the war veteran affairs.

Uerikua further commended the governments of Botswana and Namibia on the repatriation underway of the Herero descendants who fled Namibia to Botswana during the Herero-Germany genocide wars of 1904 to 1908.

Uerikua expressed his gratitude to the local authority councils of Okahandja, Okakarara, Otjiwarongo, Otavi and Grootfontein for their town land servicing programme and on the actual construction of houses for the residents.

“Efforts being put to combat crime activities in the region are also applauded,” he said.

Uerikua also mentioned several challenges faced by different Government ministries and agencies in fully delivering services to the people of the region here.

Amongst other challenges, Uerikua singled out affordable housing provision to be a huge challenge due to the cost of capital needed to execute, as well as on the effective issuance of national identification documents and resettling residents on Government acquired farms in the region.

The SoRA was organised by the Otjozondjupa Regional Council at its special council meeting.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency