Traditional authorities in the Kunene Region have commended the government for its continued efforts to provide relief food to drought-afflicted people in the region.

Kunene is one of the regions that has suffered severe drought in recent years, and the majority of the inhabitants depend on the government's Drought Relief Programme. While commending the government for the assistance, they feel the long-term solution is the setting up and improvement of community gardens to empower people to produce their own food.

The Executive Director in the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben Nashandi, says the Kunene Region, part of Erongo, and Omusati have featured in drought relief programmes since 2019.

He says interventions to mitigate the effects of drought will continue to manage the situation.

"This year, this programmeme continues with the addition of the livestock support programme, which was discontinued last year; therefore, the focus is really to support people who have nothing to eat in our villages. The traditional authorities are best suited to identify who is unable to feed himself or herself."

There is also a livestock support programme from which affected farmers from all 14 of the country's 14 regions are targeted to benefit.

"Concerns about access to grazing in these areas; you have support, but you are unable to find grazing; those are real issues, and there are also proposals that came from the floor on how we need to consider overcoming some of those challenges. I just want to reiterate that these programmes are not confined to specific regions; you can find grazing beyond your own region, and we need to make use of the government structures to identify those grazing where they are available."

On education, Vice President Nangolo Mbumba called on parents to send their children to school to contribute to the development of their communities upon successfully completing their education.

"We must send our children to school and help them really gain more knowledge. New things are happening; new industries are developing in Namibia; those people who are going to benefit from these who have the knowledge to be able to do things."