Residents of Grootfontein's Kap en Bou settlement are calling on the municipality to fast-track the provision of water and electricity to their area.

Kap en bou started as a result of land grabbing in 2017, and the population has since grown over the years.

Inhabitants here get water from a nearby location, Blikkies Dorp, where they pay for it. A lack of electricity is another challenge.

The Swakopmund Municipality has signed an agreement with the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) for housing provision.

Last year, about 805 residents from Swakopmund's DRC informal settlement received free plots from the municipality to construct brick houses and apply for electricity connections. 

The agreement between the Swakopmund Municipality and NHE, which is fully funded by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, sees houses constructed for residents who earn as little as N$3,000 or less with NHE assistance.

Walvis Bay will join 38 other local authorities at the US-based Johns Hopkins University's new Youth Climate Action Fund, where it will receive close to N$1 million for disbursement to youth-led climate action initiatives.

This was brought to light by Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes at the ordinary council meeting. 

Forbes says efforts stemming from the new Youth Climate Action Fund will advance critical community goals such as meeting decarbonisation commitments or reducing consumption-based emissions.

The Berseba Constituency Office has completed the first phase of a N$2.5 million water and sanitation project aimed at eliminating open defecation. 

The project was funded by the Social Security Commission (SSC).

The water and sanitation project includes the construction of 120 pit latrines and eight solar pumps. 

Of the 60 pit latrines completed during the first phase of the project, 21 were handed over to the ||Uibes community this week. 

The Erongo Regional Council has, for the past three consecutive years, been rated as the best performer among its peers.

Regional Council Chairperson Benitha Imbamba, who was speaking at a regional council meeting in Swakopmund, emphasised the importance of customer service.

Imbamba, while expressing her satisfaction, reminded the councillors of their duties to deliver effectively and efficiently.

The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, has inaugurated the newly constructed Oranjemund Fire Station. 

The construction of the fire station was done by the government. 

The new fire station inauguration also saw the unveiling of a new ambulance. 

Minister Uutoni says the government remains committed to supporting local authorities in terms of safety and emergency response. 

Concerted efforts from both the public and private sectors, as well as the community, are needed to address the housing shortage in the mining town of Oranjemund. 

The Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, commissioned the groundbreaking for the construction of 85 housing units. 

The groundbreaking ceremony coincided with the handover of 50 houses to the members of the Shack Dwellers Federation. 

The Oranjemund Town Council has also serviced 327 plots at Extension 10, of which 220 are designated for residential. 

In response to mounting concerns over the state of the livestock sector in the country, particularly in the Northern Communal Areas (NCA), the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration has initiated a series of oversight visits. 

The visits are scheduled to take place from the 12th to the 24th of this month.

The committee will investigate the condition of quarantine farms, camps, facilities, and abattoirs in the NCAs and propose actionable recommendations.

NamWater is calling on residents of central Namibia to use water sparingly as the area is facing a serious water shortage. 

Currently, the central area of Namibia gets its water supply from the Omatako, Von Bach, and Swakoppoort dams.

The dams water levels are said to be alarmingly low, at 18%, compared to 37.2% at the same time last year. 

The current 18% water level is equivalent to 27.8 million cubic metres. 

President Nangolo Mbumba has called on potential investors to explore opportunities in ammonia and fertiliser production in Namibia and elsewhere across the African continent.

The Head of State addressed the opening session of the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit underway in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.