Residents of Kunene are concerned about their safety due to poor road infrastructure and overflowing rivers during the rainy season.

They shared their dissatisfaction with Vice President Nangolo Mbumba at Opuwo. The residents requested that the government construct bridges at river crossings to enable them to access services during the rainy season.

A case in point is the roads that connect Okangwati and Etanga to Otjinungua via Osana. There is also a need to set up bridges in some areas that are washed away during the rainy season on the road from Opuwo to Sesfontein.

According to the Executive Secretary of Kai Gaob Traditional Authority, John ||Khamuseb, youth unemployment is also a thorn in the flesh.

"We want to emphasise that unemployment among the youth has become a tremendous challenge in the area, the reason being that this town of Sesfontein is far away from the developed towns and centres; therefore, our absolute plea is that our children be the main stream of new developmental programmes that are rolled out as the VP indicated in the question of the green hydrogen programme."

There is also a need to address water scarcity in some parts of the region by drilling new and rehabilitating the old boreholes and electrifying from Etanga settlement to Otjitanda.

The region also needs tertiary institutions, more schools to be built in some remote areas, sub-police stations, and clinics at Otjitanda, Ehama, Okondjombo, and Ondjije.

Human-wildlife conflict issues also need to be addressed, as does the upliftment of the living standards of marginalised communities.

There are nine recognised traditional authorities in Kunene, with 86 more pending recognition.