The Office of the Kunene Governor and various government institutions have embarked on a mission, as directed by the president, to assess the proposed Purros Dam site in the region.
The high-level visit, which took place from 15 to 17 March 2026 in the Sesfontein-Purros area, brought together key stakeholders, including NamWater, the Ministry's of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, as well as Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, the Environmental Investment Fund (EIF), as well as the Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC).
The mission was aimed to conduct a technical inspection of the proposed dam site while engaging stakeholders on critical issues related to water infrastructure development, climate resilience, and long-term water security for communities.
The head of the delegation and Kunene region's governor, Vipuakuje Muharukua, shed light on the mission.
"The purpose of the dam is that President Netumbi Nandi-Ndaitwah has seen the plight of the Kunene region and that the recurrent drought in our region keeps us back and keeps taking our resources every now and again. As we speak, we are facing another drought year; it won't get rainy in the next one and a half months. We are in another dire situation. So the dam is then going to help make Kunene green, as she fondly says. So we went through a pre-feasibility study and saw what it was that the engineers were talking about. As a team of leaders, we are very, very happy with the site that we have seen. This dam is going to be the size of a mega-dam, if not the biggest.”
Speaking on EIF's role in the project, the chief executive officer, Benedict Libanda, explained.
"This dam is a strategic asset to the community. As we all know, Kunene is the hardest hit region when it comes to climate change. We have seen recurring floods; we've been affecting livelihoods and agricultural production, as well as many other economic sectors such as mining and tourism. So for us as the EIF, our role is to advise on how this structure is done as a sustainable infrastructure that supports livelihoods and climate change adaptation, as well as improve the economic well-being of the community people.”
NamWater's CEO, Abraham Nehemia, highlighted the transformation of the dam for the regions’ inhabitants and the economic benefits.
"This dam will, once constructed, bring a new phase to the region. What will happen is that this dam, first of all, will look into food security and more water will be used for irrigation. It will look into enhancing tourism in the region; definitely a lot of tourist facilities, like lodges, will be developed in the area. That will provide new jobs for the local people. And definitely, clean water, because we are going to put up treatment facilities to treat water for domestic use for the people.”
The initiative reflects ongoing efforts to address water challenges in the Kunene Region, where access to reliable water sources remains essential for both livelihoods and sustainable development.