Rundu - Angola and Namibia reaffirmed this Monday, in the Namibian province of East Okavango, their commitment to working together with a view to developing sustainable tourism in the Okavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA).
The parties reaffirmed this commitment during a meeting between the governor of Cuando Cubango, José Martins, and the governor of the Namibian Region of East Okavango, Bonifatius Wakudumu, at the end of a four-day expedition.
The expedition began on the 18th of this month in Menongue, capital of Cuando Cubango, carried out by tourists and potential investors in the Angolan Okavango Region, following the first Investors Forum in this region.
In his speech, Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo highlighted the blood ties that exist between the populations residing on the common border.
The governor stressed that traditional authority in these locations transcend both Nations, and, therefore, he called for continued work in the equitable treatment of populations by both states, educating them with the same matrix, for sustainable management and exploitation of forest, fauna and water resources.
“We need to develop together, with examples of work and this meeting is a reflection of the good ties between the two states”, he highlighted.
For his part, governor José Martins informed that the investor forum and the resulting expedition represent an important step towards effectively making tourism possible and empowering local communities.
“The challenge is the development of tourism. Namibia is already very advanced, but on the Angolan side there is still a lot that needs to be done”, he stressed, having highlighted that the tour signals compliance with the guidelines of the Angolan Executive aimed at taking advantage of tourism potential at the service of the economy and populations well-being.
The governor highlighted that the forum made it possible to showcase the instruments that are being applied to facilitate private investment in the Angolan region in the field of law, financial and material support and the approved projects on the implementation of road infrastructures, to allow investors to visit the areas without difficulty.
José Martins highlighted that support infrastructures, such as communication, water and energy, are already being implemented to ensure greater facilitation of private investment in the region, for whom the visit allowed, on the ground, investors and all interested parties to learn about the local potential.
At the hearing, the governor was accompanied by the President of the Board of Directors of the National Agency for the Management of the Okavango Region (ANAGERO), Rui Lisboa, the MININT Delegate and Provincial Commander of the National Police, José Alberto Tchinyama, the Consul General of the Republic of Angola in Rundu, Oliveira Guilherme, other entities.
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