The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, says Namibia continues to make strides in the provision of clean drinking water, both in urban and rural areas.

These efforts are, however, impeded by damage to infrastructure.

Schlettwein was speaking at the launch of the first-ever regional water symposium in Namibia in the north-central regions at Ongwediva.

The water symposium brought together industry experts to deliberate on the best ways to supply and preserve water.

"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 Minister of Agriculture, Carl Schlettwein, says the subsidised commodities in the US markets would make it difficult for Namibian products to enter the space.

As a result, he says, the two countries could discuss the possibility of preferential treatment for some products.

Schlettwein said this during a meeting with a delegation of representatives from different US agencies at the US-Africa Business Summit in Tlokweng, Botswana.

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.

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, is displeased by the trend of postponement of motion debates in the National Assembly.

This worrying trend, he explains, results in either neglect of or indefinite delays in deliberation on issues of national concern.

"I am getting worried; we are postponing everything to Monday and Tuesday, and we have agreed at the Chief Whip that we will deal with all the matters. And we will only stop when we have finished. There are too many things."

Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, has highlighted that the division between the commercial, disease-free livestock sector south of the red line and the communal farming sector in the northern part of the country, where diseases still prevail, is a lingering consequence of the colonial divide and rule strategy.

Schlettwein made this remark during the announcement of the new Meat Board, expressing the importance of recognising and rectifying the historical inequalities and divisions that persist in the livestock sector.
 

The outgoing chairperson of the Namwater Board of Directors announced that they are leaving the company with a positive balance, having improved it by N$215 million compared to when they assumed their position.

Thaddius Maswahu made this statement during the appointment of a new board for Namwater by the Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry, Carl Schlettwein.

The outgoing board was appointed in 2017, and their three-year term was extended with an additional term.

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein stressed that the water agenda be accorded the same attention as climate change.
He was speaking after the conclusion of the UN-Water Conference in New York on Friday.
 

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein calls for UN coordination in water management. 

The minister said the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres should create a position within the UN that takes responsibility for water.

Schlettwein who is attending the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, said during an interview that the UN Secretary-General was approached by the Bonn Water Dialogues Key messages supporters to create a position within the UN that would be responsible for water and fill the coordination gap.

Once fully operational, the envisaged 5,000-hectare irrigation scheme at Neckartal Dam, on the outskirts of Keetmanshoop, will provide sufficient produce for not only the domestic market but exports as well.

The government invested N$5 billion in the construction of the Neckartal Dam, making it the biggest investment the government has ever made in the ||Kharas Region.

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, Carl Schlettwein, held an engagement with stakeholders on the envisaged development plans of the Neckartal Dam.