Empower your communities says Kavango West Governor
The Kavango West Governor, Sirkka Ausiku appealed to regional councillors to hold regular meetings with communities to empower them with information on regional developments, during a meeting at Mayenzere village in the Musese constituency, recently.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in the Kavango West said Ausiku reasoned that judging from questions asked by the people during the regional visits, one can tell that some councillors hold regular meetings with communities while others do not value their importance.
Ausiku said through meetings, important information is shared, so if councillors are not holding meetings with communities for them to get information, it is going to be as it happened to us today. “When people are not informed, they are likely to have a lot of complaints and in the end, they become outraged towards the government,” added Ausiku.
Ausiku highlighted that the establishment of the Maurus Nekaro Conservancy and Katope Community Forest was to bring development and improve the livelihoods of residents, through the sales of resources found within their borders. “Some conservancies elsewhere are funding developments such as boreholes, clinics, and electricity in the community they are situated in, but why is it not the same in the Musese constituency,” she asked.
She requested the council to engage the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and the Maurus Nekaro Conservancy management to give feedback reports on revenue generated and what developments were derived from the fund. “I expect Council to report back to my office within three weeks,” she concluded.
The ministry said the meeting was overwhelmed with queries and concerns from the public, such as the water crisis led to a whole day of deliberations.