The leader of the official opposition, McHenry Venaani, says a lack of active leadership is partly the reason why Zambezi Region continues to be one of the poorest regions.

The president of the Popular Democratic Party (PDM) was speaking at a media briefing in Katima Mulilo on Thursday.

Venaani questioned why strides have not been made in the agricultural sector, particularly with regards to reviving Katima Farm.

Years of waiting for tender approvals, Venaani said, have contributed to a lack of food production and employment creation in the region.

"It is no longer acceptable that Zambezi Region is the poorest in the country while the government is making no concerted efforts at all to address the question of agricultural productivity and job absorption in the region. I want to plead with the governor of the region that my dear brother Sampofu, Katima farm water is next to the river, there is no functional green scheme in the region, and this is the region that has the most water and arable land, and the reason why there are no projects going on here is because the government is not prioritising this region; there is no reason why Zambezi should continue to be the poorest region."

He called on the governor and agriculture minister to urgently address the issue.

Venaani, who is on a door-to-door recruitment and mobilisation drive in the Katima Mulilo urban constituency, also called out the local authority on the poor roads around the town.

An alternative, he said, would be to gravel the roads in the absence of adequate funding.