Kunene Governor Vipuakuje Muharruua has urged leaders to maintain a positive outlook and utilise their creativity to find solutions instead of resorting to criticism.

Muharukua made the call during the State of the Region Address delivered under the theme "Kunene region fast-tracking towards 2030".

The theme calls on the region to bridge development gaps towards 2030, which Muharukua said can be done with absolute precision and efficiency.

The address took stock of infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, education, sports, health, social welfare, mining, and youth development.

He called on councillors to do more to fill the cracks that manifest in the region's social safety nets and take ownership of development.

"We can all have an impact; let us own our region! And with the speed of our development towards 2030, Kunene will be just fine. I reiterate, the statistics are favourable, and the time for Kunene is now! As a champion of research-based policy and decision-making, I urge all of us to keep statistics at heart in policy formulation in all our decisions."

On education, Muharukua says the region is lagging behind, and there is a need to change the approach to motivating learners and educators to improve performance.

He called on fellow Kunene leaders to pull up their socks to meet the government halfway towards Vision 2030. 

"It's evident that the government has done a great deal of investment in the Kunene Region to bring us on par. I therefore implore all of us to own our education system. We must all take responsibility for the discipline in our schools; we must become creative in resourcing our schools; and we must be deliberate about the output from our students."

On water provision, Muharukua said many settlements and rural communities continue to experience water scarcity, with some residents still travelling long distances to water points. 

"During the period under review, 25 existing water points were rehabilitated through rural water supply. We thank Mrs. Mutota and her dedicated team for that. Short pipelines were constructed in Opuwo Urban at Ondore; Neuland Pos 14 in the Sesfontein constituency; and Otjirumbu in the Epupa constituency. Under Community Conservation interventions and Kunene Conservation Support, a total of 25 boreholes were drilled. From these, 15 were successful, and ten failed."

The region also owes Namwater huge amounts that prove impossible to clear within a reasonable time.