Oshigambo to Eenhana main road to be upgraded

The main road 121 from Oshigambo to Eenhana in the Oshikoto and Ohangwena regions respectively will be upgraded to a tarred road. This Road covers a distance of 48 km and will cost the Government over N$193million to construct.
The Roads Authority in conjunction with the Ministry of Works and Transport this week held a ground-breaking ceremony for the commencement of the the upgrading of this gravel road to a tarred road.
The upgrading of this road will also entail the upgrading of all interseactions in accordance with the specifications, drainage structures along the route will be improved and a 60 metre wide road reserve will also be established and properly demarcated.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Erkki Nghimtina, Minister of Works and Transport said, this project is one of the Government’s effort to expand the feeder road network to provide access to the rural community in line with the 2015 Millennium Development Goals and Vision 2030. The 2015 Millennium Development Goals state that by 2015 every citizen of this world should live at 2km distance of the main roads. “Main Road 121 is bordered by numerous agricultural fields and homesteads. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy in the northern part of the country. It provides for the livelihood of about 70% of the population here in this region. On a national level, the Agriculture Sector contributes about 8% towards the overall economic activity,” he said.
President, Hifikepunye Pohamba said Namibia inherited a road infrastructure with modern roads which were mainly designed to serve the military and strategic interests of the colonial regimes. This, he said, limited the potential for economic development in these regions because the majority of the people were deprived of the benefits that come with road infrastructure, as they did not have easy access to essential services. “After independence, our Government introduced a fundamental policy shift, with deliberate focus on the expansion of the existing infrastructure, construction of rural and feeder roads to facilitate access to economic centre and markets, as well as roads that link Namibia with neighbouring countries,” said Pohamba. He further said, The Oshigambo-Eenhana road will improve the general accessibility to vital centres in the Ohangwena and Oshikoto Regions. It will also provide access to smaller settlements across the regions. “Our rail and road infrastructure is critical to the socio-economic development of our country. In this context, our Government will continue investing in the construction and upgrading of these important national assets,” he said.
The Consulting Engineer for this project is a joint venture between Element Consulting Engineer and Engelbrecht Consulting Engineers. The Contractor is Namibbeton and KL Construction Joint Venture. Approximately 200 workers will be employed during the construction of this project. Workers will be sourced from the surrounding settlements of this route.