After a 20-year waiting period, the Ozonahi Conservancy project has finally been awarded a certificate of operation to address bush encroachment in the Okakarara Constituency of the Otjozondjupa Region.
The certificate was awarded by Environment, Forestry, and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta, who said such projects are needed as encroaching bushes hamper agricultural productivity.
The government remains committed to ensuring sustainable management of natural resources.
This was said by the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, during the handover of ten rehabilitated boreholes for rural communities in the Berseba Constituency.
Shifeta said the persistent drought caused by low rainfall as a result of climate change continues to affect rural communities negatively.
The $12 million community garden project to address food insecurity in the Kunene Region has officially been handed over by Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta.
The 16-hectare garden at Fransfontein is focused on both horticultural and dryland crop production.
The Fransfontein Community Garden, established by the Environmental Investment Fund through the IREMA project, will benefit more than 1,700 people in the settlement.
Pohamba Shifeta, Environment and Tourism Minister, handed over a solar plant to Sheya Shuushona Conservancy Lodge in the Omusati Region's Otamanzi Constituency.
The project was implemented during the climate change resilience program through Community Based Natural Resources Management in Namibia.
The intervention is aimed at empowering locals and encouraging enterprise development through joint ventures and with an off-take agreement in place with Namibia Exclusive Safari in Sheya Shuushona conservancy.
The Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta, officially handed over the Okongo Forestry Horticultural Project to the community titled "hydroponic farming systems".
Okongo community forestry was established in 1997 and the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia stepped in with funding of N$3 million from August 2019 until August 2021.
The project covers about 55,918 hectares of land in Okongo Constituency, whose major sources of livelihood are crop production, livestock rearing, and non-timber forest products.
Candidates contesting three of the top positions in the Swapo Party made presentations to delegates at Rundu in the Kavango East Region.
Regional Coordinator Ottilie Shinduvi says the intra-party campaign went according to the guidelines as agreed by the Central Committee.
The media was only allowed to have a glimpse of the candidates at a highly guarded meeting.
A large number of delegates from the Kavango East as well as those who travelled from other regions turned up to listen to the contestants.
The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, says the government is committed to empowering rural communities and helping them diversify their agricultural activities.
Shifeta said this when he handed over a Moringa processing machine to the Likwaterera Community Forest in Kavango East's Rundu Rural Constituency.
The Likwaterera Community Forest is expected to produce moringa from its 10-hectare farm to be processed at the plant.
Swapo Party Vice Presidential candidate Pohamba Shifeta has dismissed reports that he intends to withdraw from the race, as false.
Shifeta says he has overwhelming support among delegates, which he says is a clear testimony of a call upon him to serve the country.
The Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister is currently on a campaign trail in the two Kavango regions, as well as the Zambezi region.
Shifeta says withdrawing from the race to become the next vice president of the party will be betraying the 72% of his comrades who endorsed his candidacy.
The recent increase in wildlife crimes in the country remains a concern to the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism.
A total of 55 rhinos have been poached between January and August this year, an increase of 11 cases compared to last year.
The hotspots for these poaching incidents are the Etosha National Park and private game farms.
A total of 36 people were arrested for rhino-related cases this year, compared to 80 last year.
