The Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy (MIME), Modestus Amutse, has reiterated the government's aim to ensure 70% of the country's citizens have access to electricity by 2030. 

He said this during a courtesy visit to ||Kharas Governor Dawid Gertze. 
Amutse is on a familiarisation visit to the ||Kharas Region, assessing mining operations, energy infrastructure and development opportunities, including Naute Irrigation Farm and Rosh Pinah Mine. 

"We are now engaging also the power energy producers, those whom we have licensed, also to see whether the space that there is quiet enough, sufficiently responding to the current needs that would then enable us to achieve our goal of 70% access to electricity or maybe 80% own energy generation capacity by the same period of time. But I believe we are on the right track. The stakeholders are trying their best, and we are providing what we can to support them." 

The minister highlighted the importance of value addition.

"We shouldn't just talk about it constantly; we must see it happening. And it is our duty, therefore, to monitor that what we are saying is indeed implemented and is happening. And where it is not happening, we engage those who are involved." 

Amutse called for an end to the status quo, where small miners sell off natural resources in raw form.

He urged local miners to instead process the ore to realise the true value of mineral commodities. 
||Kharas Governor, Dawid Gertze, welcomed the minister's courtesy call. 

"We will keep our doors and line for continuous engagement so that we are also kept in the loop and know what is happening. Because we are serving people, and for their interest, we are participating and making part of what the development agenda is for the South and what will be happening." 

Amutse is set to officiate the groundbreaking ceremony for the government-funded electrification projects in the Hardap Region on Friday.