Otjiwarongo Municipality has promised to accelerate land delivery this year.

This is according to Mayor Gottlieb Shivute, speaking at the council's first meeting.

There are more than 5 000 people who applied for land at Otjiwarongo and Shivute says the Accelerated Land Delivery Programme was adopted in 2021.

"Subsequent to that, Council approved the land allocation of applicants in two townships, which consist of a combined 483 single residential erven of which only 155 applicants have been allocated this far. Therefore, this year, we should accelerate the pace of land allocation to the needy residents of our town as per Council's adopted Accelerated Land Delivery Programme."

Shivute adds that the council's focus is on people-centered municipal service delivery.

"We will intensify our collective focus on people-centered municipal services delivery as enshrined in the Harambee Prosperity Plan 11's pillar 1, effective Governance which is geared towards entrenching governance measures that aim to improve accountability, service delivery and enhancing public partnership amongst others."

Also on the Council agenda is the promotion of urban agricultural projects aimed to address poverty.

This means to do through availing agricultural plots to small-scale farmers in the town, who will be assisted through a partnership with the World Food Program.