Ondjiva – The inauguration of the water transfer system of the Cunene river, in the municipality of Cafu, and the delivery of various agricultural tools to the population, marked on Monday the second day of the visit of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, in southern Cunene province.
During his three-day visit, the Angolan Head of State inaugurated this project which includes an open-air canal, built over a length of about 160 km to benefit of 235,000 inhabitants of the municipalities of Ombadja , Cuanhama and Namacunde.
This is the first of a series of five projects the Angolan Government has created, as part of the programme of structuring actions to combat the drought in Cunene.
Estimated at 44.3 billion kwanzas, the project will also benefit 250,000 animals and the irrigation of 5,000 hectares of agricultural fields.
Speaking to journalists after the inauguration, João Lourenço reaffirmed that the Executive will continue to implement structuring programmes to reduce the impact of drought in the provinces of Cunene, Namibe and Huíla, in the country’s southern region.
According to the Head of State, the objective is to ensure the balanced development of the country and reduce regional asymmetries.
He added that in the specific case of Cunene, there are ongoing projects in the fields of energy and water, as well as a satellite city and a 200-housing project, which will contribute to changing the lives of the populations.
He described the inauguration of the Cafu project as "a victory over the suffering of the populations" and the beginning of a vast programme for the benefit of the populations victims of the drought in the provinces of Cunene, Namibe and Oila.
According to João Lourenço, the system implemented in Ombadja will cover several municipalities, with the priority to populated and drought-affected in the province of Cunene.
On the same day, the President of the Republic offered, in the locality of Lyepombo, various agricultural equipment, as part of the programme aimed at encouraging and development of agricultural activity along the perimeter of the Cafu canal.
