More clinics for cattle farmers

Livestock farmers in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs) this past weekend inaugurated two more animal health clinics, funded by the Millenium Challenge Account Namibia (MCA-N).
The farmers say they now no longer have to travel hundreds of kilometres to take their livestock to a veterinary clinic. As part of its objective to advance the country’s veterinary infrastructure in the under-served areas to improve animal health and livestock production, MCA‐N invested N$98 million in the construction of five state‐of‐the‐art State Veterinary Offices. The government contributed N$6 million.
MCA‐N handed over the final two clinics at Outapi and Eenhana to the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF) John Mutorwa on 15 and 17 October. The other animal clinics at Okakarara, Epukiro and Omuthiya were handed over earlier this year. The clinics are complete with animal treatment areas, offices, a laboratory, meeting rooms, a sterilization room, a post‐mortem room, freezer and cold rooms, as well as kennels and animal holding pens.
Mutorwa hailed the construction of these veterinary clinics as a giant step to bring services closer to the previously disadvantaged livestock farmers.

MCA-0N CEO Penny Akwenye appealed to the farmers to work closely with agriculture authorities to fully benefit from the positive changes happening in the animal husbandry in communal areas. She said the farmers in the NCAs now have the opportunity to participate fully in the country’s livestock economy.
The minister invited the veterinary personnel at Outapi and Eenhana to utilise the clinics properly and warned against abuse. “Veterinary staff must protect these facilities from vandalism. These new centres must help us as a nation to move forward in line with our Vision 2030 mission,” said Mutorwa. Efraim Weyulu, a senior headman of the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority, is happy that gone are the days when veterinary officials would conduct operations on animals under trees: “We now have modern and well equipped facilities to do this job.” Tobias Emvula, President of the Namibian National Farmers Union (NNFU), concluded that the clinics will help improve the condition of livestock to fetch better prices on the meat market. “Namibia had a serious shortage of veterinary officers serving the northern areas, we only had extension officers who could not meet the needs of all the farmers. We thank MCA and MCC for listening to our plight,” said a proud Emvula.