The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Anna Shiweda, stated that the water crisis being experienced in the northern-central regions has been partially resolved.
Shiweda was responding to concerns raised by Rally for Democratic Party (RDP) MP Kennedy Shekupakela regarding the severity of the water situation in the Oshikoto Region.
A shortage of water in the Oshikoto Region has unleashed devastating effects on humans, livestock, and projects.
Some residents are forced to travel long distances to buy water, both for their own consumption and for livestock.
Some villagers, such as Shikongo Mingeli from Omutsegwonime, still have no access to potable water.
The 85-year-old travels 40 kilometres to and from Omuthiya to buy water for consumption for his family and their livestock.
It is a costly exercise.
Africa has regressed in attaining commitments made in the 2008 Declaration on Accelerating the Achievement of Water and Sanitation Goals.
This is according to Namibia's Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, who officially opened the 7th Africa Sanitation and Hygiene Conference at Swakopmund.
The five-day conference is a platform for technical and political dialogue with governments and stakeholders to address sanitation and hygiene challenges in Africa.
A team of veterinary experts is in the Zambezi Region on a fact-finding mission to establish the cause of cattle deaths in the flood plains of the region.
Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed hemorrhagic septicemia as the cause.
Hemorrhagic septicemia is a disease of water buffalo and cattle in tropical regions caused by specific serotypes of Pasteurella.
Farmers were advised to immediately vaccinate all their healthy cattle against Pasteurella, black quarter, botulism, and anthrax, as such diseases are common during the dry season in the region.
Namibia's goal is to enhance agricultural production and ensure national food security and self-sufficiency.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Anna Shigwedha, made the remark in response to Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani's inquiries regarding drip irrigation and soil moisture management for small-scale commercial agriculture.
"As heads of state and governments, we must aim to close the water investment gap in Africa for the achievement of not only the water-related SDG targets on the continent, important as they are, but to enable the African continent to achieve her overall developmental goals."
This was the clarion call by President Hage Geingob during the launch of the International High-Level Panel Campaign, titled Mind the Gap: Invest in Water Raising Ambition, in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform officially handed over the Rundu abattoir to MeatCo yesterday.
The abattoir is intended to serve as a market for cattle and small stock farmers in the Kavango East, West, and surrounding regions.
The construction of the Rundu abattoir started in 2014 and was expected to be completed in 2017.
The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, stated that the outbreak of COVID-19 and disruptions in tourism and other economic activities delayed the completion of the abattoir.
There are online scammers that have been targeting various Government agencies; one of the most recent is the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform.
nbc News anchor Celma Ndhikwa spoke to Jona Musheko, the Ministry's spokesperson, about recent scams targeting farmers.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform will be carrying out an awareness campaign on the Namibia Livestock Identification and Traceability System and stock brands.
The campaign will be undertaken by the ministry's Directorate of Veterinary Services and the Meat Board of Namibia from the 17th of this month until the 31st of October.
The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness and educate farmers on the appropriate use of cattle eartags and stock brands, as well as provide guidance on how to register on NamLITS online.
The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, says MeatCo still remains a crucial entity in the meat market and that it has no immediate replacement.
Schlettwein noted that although the government cannot keep up with bailing out MeatCo all the time, there are currently no plans to replace the entity, and it remains the heartbeat of the livestock sector.
