Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has commended Shikati Boniface Shufu and the Mayeyi Traditional Authority for their commitment to preserving biodiversity.
Nandi-Ndaitwah addressed the Batshara Annual Cultural Festival that took place at Sangwali in the Zambezi Region over the weekend.
The Mayeyi people live within Mudumu National Park and Nkasa Rupara and also host three conservancies in Balyerwa, Wuparo, and Dzoti.
Nandi-Ndaitwah expressed appreciation for the community's efforts in preserving their culture and biodiversity and stressed that it was right that they benefit from the region's natural resources.
"I will therefore call upon anyone who is coming into this region with interest in the tourism industry to ensure that a tourist-balanced agreement between the community in conservation areas is formulated in the manner that it should benefit both the investor as well as the community within the conservancies and around the conservancies."
She also highlighted the effects of this year's drought, not only in Namibia but across the SADC region, saying it led to widespread water and food shortages.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said many boreholes have run dry, but the government is looking for alternative solutions.
"We are now looking at the bigger picture, to the extent that we are intensifying our engagement with our neighbours so that we may be able to access the amount required within the boundaries so that we will be able to provide the required water to our people. We also go further to look at the sea, whereby desalination is the way to go."
The vice president also touched on service delivery as a priority for the government.
She acknowledged that some areas have suffered setbacks, adding that these need to be improved on.
Nandi-Ndaitwah called on authorities in the sectors of particularly education, health care provision, rural and urban electrification, housing, road infrastructure, and potable water provision to recognise these needs as a priority and give the necessary support to the state's vision for these.