Development projects at the Ruacana Town Council in the Omusati Region have been moving slowly over the last three years due to insufficient funding from the line ministry.
However, conditions are improving as some funds have been allocated for the 2024/2025 financial year for developmental projects in the town.
Some projects in progress include road maintenance, which has already begun and is expected to be completed in two months.
Ruacana Town Council Chief Executive Officer Malakia Ileka informed NBC News that N$1.4 million was allocated by the Road Fund Administration (RFA).
"They are maintaining our tarred roads in the town. Where there are cracks, they fix them. They are also putting caps on the roadside to prevent them from falling apart, and they are filling all the cracks in the middle of the road and addressing potholes."
Another project is the establishment of a new township to be known as Extension-3, which has been allocated N$9 million by the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development as compensation for people to pave the way for development.
"The process has already started, although it is not easy because some residents do not agree with the amount, as the evaluation was conducted by the Division of Land Valuation under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform. We have already made some payouts to residents who accepted the valuation of their properties, and we are ensuring that the process continues."
The ministry has also allocated N$1.5 million to the local authority for the design of services at the new township in the 2024/2025 financial year.
The services include water, electricity, roads, and sewer reticulation.
Malakia Ileka states that the cost estimate for the construction of the design services exceeds N$31 million, and he is urging the ministry to provide the necessary funds to execute the project.
He is pleased with the progress made so far at the new township, which is expected to be completed in March 2025, depending on the availability of funds.
The new township will accommodate more than 200 erven for low, middle, and high-income earners.