The upgrade of a five-kilometre water pipeline near Henties Bay is expected to start soon, following the awarding of a N$15 million tender to a local company.

The pipeline ferries water from the Omdel acquifier at the Omaruru river mouth to ensure water supply at Hentiesbay.

Erongo Governor Neville Andre says the multi-million-dollar upgrade shows the government's commitment to service delivery despite challenges like a sparsely populated country.

Erongo Governor Neville Andre says despite commendable achievements in human rights and gender equality, Namibia still faces persistent challenges in terms of gender-based violence.

At least 32% of Namibian women are said to have experienced physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner at some point.

To remedy the situation, Andre plans to establish a regional gender-based violence (GBV) task team with different stakeholders on board.

Andre says GBV is the most pervasive yet least visible human rights violation in the world.

The 15th Erongo Business and Tourism Expo hopes to contribute to the revival of the tourism industry at Walvis Bay following the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on local businesses.

This year's focus is on innovation, integration, and industrialization.

At the official opening, the Walvis Bay Mayor indicated that the council celebrates events such as the expo because SMEs get a platform to exhibit products and services.

Governor Neville Andre is encouraging residents of the Erongo Region to participate and cooperate with Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) field workers in giving them complete and accurate data.

Andre added that census data plays a crucial role in decision-making across a wide range of fields and is a fundamental tool for understanding the characteristics of a population.

The public is further assured that data collected during the Census period is always anonymous and encrypted and will be used only for statistical purposes.

In Swakopmund, 108 houses under the Mass Housing Programme have been handed over to residents by the government.

The structures are part of the 300 mass housing houses, which were abandoned for seven years over payment disputes.

Handing the houses over to beneficiaries at Matutura, the Urban and Rural Development Minister, Erastus Uutoni, stressed that collaboration is required to successfully deliver land and housing.

The high influx of people in the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay has put pressure on schools there despite the construction of additional classrooms and projects.

In his State of the Region Address, the Governor of the Erongo Region, Neville Andre, said during the period under review, the Directorate of Education, Art, and Culture has recorded an increase in learner enrollments from 51,942 last year to 53,538 this year.

This represents an increase of 1,596 learners.