The Zambezi Regional Council (ZRC) says several development projects in the region have stalled due to funding cuts, delayed budget releases and bureaucracy.
Among the affected projects is the status change of Kongola to a settlement.
The phase, which consists of the construction of bulk water infrastructure and reservoirs, has been completed.
The second, involving internal water and sewer reticulation, roads, electricity, a landfill site and an oxidation pond, was halted after the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development withdrew part of the allocated funding.
The Ngoma sewer reticulation project, aimed at protecting the shared water source along the Namibia-Botswana border from contamination, has also been delayed.
The Chief Statistician Officer at the ZRC, Benith Mwilima, said the current development budget process also limits the involvement of the region in deciding which projects receive funding.
"Once we have submitted our proposals, we are excluded from the process, which creates problems with prioritisation. What is a priority for Zambezi does not become a priority for MURD. That is why those projects we submitted PIFs for are not funded. We are supposed to sit with the Planning Commission and MURD to agree on these priorities, but that stage does not happen."
The limited funding is adversely impacting rural sanitation and the progress of the Rural Development Centre. A total of 120 latrines were constructed using the N$1.5 million allocated for the 2025/2026 budget, aimed at serving communities without access to water and sewer services throughout the region. For the current financial year, the budget has increased to N$2.7 million, with a plan to construct 377 latrines as part of a joint programme with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform. This initiative seeks to address the sanitation backlog and mitigate open defecation.
Officials also raised concern over inconsistent funding for the rural development centre at Masokotwane.
The council officials were responding to questions from members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Budget and Finance.