Namibia attends 10th World Water Forum
Namibia partners with Indonesian counterparts
Agriculture Minister Calle Schlettwein has warned that the privatisation of water services will lead to high costs being transferred to consumers.
Vulnerable and poor populations will not be able to afford water if it is left in the hands of the private sector.This is according to Namibia’s agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein who warned that water privatisation will be costly for the poor due to the possible high costs that may be transferred to consumers.
He was speaking at a recent panel discussion at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia.
The panel discussion was organised by the African Development Bank and African Water Facility under the theme “Innovative financing and resource mobilisation for climate-resilient water and sanitation investments.”.
In 2020, the agriculture ministry secured a loan of nearly N$1.9 billion from the African Development Bank for the implementation of the Namibia Water Sector Support Programme (NWSSP), which is aimed at increasing access to quality and sustainable water supply.
Part of this fund is dedicated to bulk water development for the Rundu and Oshakati water treatment plants, the Ohangwena wellfield development and major pipelines for rural water supply projects in Ohangwena, Kavango West, Kavango East, Oshikoto, Zambezi, Khomas, Oshana, Omaheke and Omusati regions.
Partnerships
On the sidelines of the World Water Forum, the executive director of the agriculture ministry, Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata and technical members of the ministry visited the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
The agriculture ministry and their Indonesian counterparts are also at an advanced stage of signing a memorandum of understanding on agriculture, which will, inter alia, include seed development and animal vaccines.
At the university, the team met with Prof Dr Ova Emilia, the rector of UGM, and representatives from the faculty of agriculture to explore potential cooperation in the advancement of seed production technology.
As part of their visit, the delegation also toured the Centre of Agrotechnology (PIAT) and the UGM Seed Testing Laboratory.
Ari Hadiman, first secretary and head of social and cultural information affairs at the Indonesian embassy in Namibia, also accompanied the delegation.