Ombadja- Namibian minister of Agriculture, Water and Agrarian Reform, Carl Schletwein, on Wednesday highlighted the scale of the Cafu project to supply water to the population of the southern Cunene Province.
Speaking to the press at the end of a visit to the Cafu pumping station, Carl Schletwein, said the project is of great dimension thanks to the investment made and that it will reduce the effects of the severe drought in the region.
The Namibian minister said he was invited by Angola’s Water and Energy minister, João Borges, to learn about the project and others shared under the agreements between the two countries.
He recognized that the infrastructure justifies a good use of the historical resources available, for the resolution of the biggest problem that has afflicted the families and the cattle.
Carl Schletwein said that the visit is just a step to continue working together to improve the living conditions of the population in the northern part of Namibia and southern Angola.
Angola’s minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, on his turn, said the visit is part of an interaction with the Namibian side in the context of sharing water resources.
"Based on the spirit of sharing, we invited the Namibian side to be inside the very important project to combat the effects of drought", the Angolan minister said.
The Angolan minister explained the two countries also shared information about other ongoing projects in Cunene.
João Borges added that the Angolan government is committed to the construction of projects that dimension not only in Cunene, but also in the provinces of Huila and Namibe, as part of the fight against the effects of drought in the south of the country.
The Angolan minister acknowledged that the results along the Cafu canal, at this time, are visible, taking into account the satisfaction of the population for the water supply and its use for the practice of agriculture.
The cafu canal is the first of a batch of five projects the Angolan government has created to combat drought in the southern region of the country, which will benefit 235 000 people from the municipalities of Ombadja, Cuanhama and Namacunde.
Valued at 44.3 billion kwanzas, the canal will supply water to some 250 000 animals and the irrigation of 5000 hectares of agricultural fields.
