Dear Editor
Allow me to express my opinion in your esteemed newspaper with regard to the article published in one of our local English dailies under the headline ‘Bureaucracy Threatens N$870 million project which was ear-marked for flood prone areas in the Eastern Caprivi.
This article was reported on the 28th of February 2008 in New Era the state owned newspaper that, the N$870 million project was under threats due to Bureaucracy. According to the paper, the Bureaucracy involved the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement .Others might be wondering what project am referring too? I am basically referring to Bio-Diesel project which could have seen 50 000 hectares of land irrigated with flood waters.
This ministry was supposed to grant a final approval and endorse lease agreement deeds for 49 years, between the Masubia Khuta and Israel-based company areas LTD.
According to the report, the project would have operated under Aegis of Integer Bio-Diesel CC and would have included some tracks of land in the Eastern Caprivi at Kaloyawe with 1066 hectare, 2597 hectares in Lusese, Nsundwa (8396 hectares), and Nanzonde around Schuckmannsburg (5884 hectares) including other parts of land at Ikaba area.
The crops which were to be planted for the production of this Bio-Fuel project are sunflower, soya beans and maize. The Masubia Tribal head, chief Kisco Maiba Liswani 111 was even complaining that the Ministry of Lands was not very co-operative and he even pointed out that, his subjects welcomed the project with open arms, since they knew it would have created many jobs and alleviate poverty in the Caprivi region. It was also understood that the investor was even promising to bring roads, schools, health centers and electrified houses to the locals.
In my view, our region would have benefited significantly to this noble development gesture as everyone in the region would have a job at this time around, we could also have seen our region and town admitting population of other people moving from other parts of the country in search for jobs. One could only imagine on how our local business entities would have benefited from this development in boosting our local economy.
Dear reader, think of this 600 000 jobs which could have been created among this, 300 000 people could get their permanent jobs and other half could be reserved for temporal workers. Since February last year, we have not heard anything. I think people should be informed at which stage the project is on now whether it has turned into a white elephant or not. I understand and believe in this philosophy that an acceleration in the economic activities leads to job creations , economic growth ,poverty alleviations , low crime rate and prosperity as it is ,like wise in the teaching profession it says the more activities you give to your learners, the more they learn and the better the results.
In conclusion, I want to call upon all Caprivians, especially those youth working in Caprivi and outside Caprivi to always unite in the development of our region. Let’s encourage development in our region .Who knows, one day we could have Bukalo and Kongola as towns like Katima.
Cedrick Chunga
Katima Mulilo Resident
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