RUNDU - Vice President Nangolo Mbumba has commended NORED for the state-of-the-art regional office at Rundu that was constructed at a cost of N$30.7 million.

Mbumba said the construction of the new office building was in line with President Hage Geingob’s Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP)’s Pillar 4 on infrastructure development. 

HPP’s Pillar 4 on infrastructure development stresses the need to develop modern, reliable infrastructure that is critical for high and sustained economic growth. “Without it, almost everything in the economic value chain tends to be slower, less reliable and more expensive than is necessary,” Mbumba said.

Mbumba’s keynote address at the opening of the multi-million-dollar building on Thursday was read on his behalf by the Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development, Tjekero Tweya.  He noted that the construction of this state-of-the-art regional office was a clear testimony on NORED’s part to expand its infrastructure asset base while bringing service delivery much closer to the people. With the official opening, NORED now has the regional headquarter to serve the three regions of Kavango West, Kavango East and Zambezi. This will serve as a service centre for the people in this regions. In the past, all the eight regions in NORED’s sphere of operation were served by one headquarter in Ondangwa.

“The importance of this majestic building, which we are inaugurating this morning, is not to be found in its display of artistic and engineering excellence, as much as we appreciate such achievements. Rather, the essence of this building ought to be seen in the positive change regarding the speed and efficacy with which services will be rendered to the communities,” Mbumba reiterated what he indicated earlier this year when launching the Zambezi Regional Council. He added that he expects and calls upon the officials who will be working in this office and other service centres to be proactive, professional and efficient and effective by rendering the desired optimal services to the community.  The construction of this state-of-the art building situated in Rundu’s Eugene Kakukuru main road was funded by NORED and construction started in April 2017.

The building was completed last August within the initial budget of N$30.7 million. This modern architectural design building is a two-storey office building consisting of 12 staff offices, two boardrooms, two waiting areas, material storeroom and electricians’ workshop. It is a fully fledged office that will render all types of services such as application for new connections, payment of accounts, buying of electricity, maintenance and operational services and other electrical related services. 

“I, therefore, wish to call upon the people of the north-eastern region to make the best use of this facility and to guard and protect it against vandalism and neglect for the benefit of our future generations. Moreover, I am pleased to note that the construction of this office was carried out as a joint venture between Qingdao Construction Namibia Cc and JV Kempton Investments cc, a local company and that about 39 workers were employed,” Mbumba appealed.

“Local participation always brings a welcome injection into the local economy and is in line with our government’s objectives of empowering the local population,” Mbumba 
added.