The Nkurenkuru and Ruacana Town Councils have stepped up cooperation between the two local authorities by renewing an existing memorandum of agreement.

The agreement, which was signed in Nkurenkuru, the regional capital of the Kavango West Region, aims to increase cooperation between the two local authorities to propel development and service delivery.

The agreement will seek to address, among others, the development of human resources and capacity building, town planning and building controls, land management and infrastructure development, local economic development, and finance and administration.

Ruacana Mayor Linda Mbwale says, “These relations are therefore catalysts in transforming the way we do business, the ways in which we plan service delivery, and the way that we deal with sister local authorities. Through these relations, we are able to jointly plan, bargain, and collectively advocate for improvements in recognition and effectiveness in service delivery within our areas of jurisdiction. This is also a platform for our employees and technical staff to gain new insights and skills through exchange programmes, joint projects, and information sharing.”

The Mayor of Nkurenkuru, Jafet Muti, says the agreement will help the two local authorities address common challenges, calling for support from political leaders and administrators.

The renewal of this memorandum is a step in the right direction to ensure an acceleration in service delivery to our residents. As we renew this MoU, let us revisit our previous agreement, evaluate it in terms of what has worked, how the two towns benefited from the agreement, and what were the challenges and obstacles that made the twinning agreement difficult to function. Knowing this will help us to come up with a clear guideline that will guide our future agreement and make sure that it becomes as lively and practical as possible.”

Minister of Urban and Rural Development Erastus Uutoni, who witnessed the signing ceremony, congratulated the two towns and encouraged officials to focus on economic development and to also invest in the inhabitants of the towns.

The Minister further urged strengthening the provision of youth exchange programmes between the towns.