OTJIWARONGO: The Otjiwarongo Municipality on Thursday launched its five-year strategic plan at the town.

Minister of Urban and Rural Development, Erastus Uutoni, launched the document in the presence of several regional and local authority councillors from Okahandja, Otavi, Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo and Okakarara.

‘This strategic plan document should not collect dust in your offices. Instead, use it as a guiding tool in developing this town as well as in rendering quality municipality services to the residents,’ urged Uutoni.

The minister reminded the Otjiwarongo local authority councillors of their five-year term, saying that in that period, they should deliver serviced land, houses and clean drinking water amongst others to the residents.

He also called on the municipality to allocate funds and utilise competent minds that would drive the aims and objectives of the strategic plan.

In his closing remarks Uutoni requested the municipality to look around town for a piece of land where the Ministry of Urba
n and Rural Development would spend money to service land for residential purposes, saying there is N.dollars 700 million budgeted by his ministry for land serving across the country during this financial year.

Otjiwarongo Mayor, Gottlieb Shivute, on his part promised to deliver the piece of land, as such a request provides a solution to objective one of the newly launched strategic plan on spatial planning and infrastructure development.

The five other objectives of the strategic plan include the sustainable working environment and public safety; socio-economic advancement of the town; business innovation and financial sustainability; as well as the operational efficiency of the workforce.

‘Our main aim in the next five years is to develop this town into a smart city of excellence,’ said Shivute.

The municipality’s acting chief executive officer, Erickson Mwanyikange, said the Otjiwarongo municipality in the next five years intends to improve its financial capacities.

‘We are owed more than N.dollars 57
million in rates and taxes. Therefore, our aim is to collect this money and use it in implementing our strategic plan of action,’ he said

Source: The Namibia Press Agency