Erongo Regional Office Park put on hold

The development of an Erongo Regional Government Office Park, at a price tag of N$198 million, has been put on hold. A budget constraint is the one and only reason, according to Clr Hafeni Ndemula, Chairperson of the Management committee of the Erongo Regional Council.
Clr Ndemula is quoted from his address earlier this week during a regional council meeting presenting the Regional Council’s 2017/18 budget. When the project would resume is also uncertain.
For the new financial year, only two capital projects were budgeted for. These include the construction of service infrastructure at Omatjete and Uis.
The construction of a Erongo Regional Government Office Park has been in the making for a significant period of time. The Regional Council spent N$6.55 million on the project already. “The feasibility study has been completed, but the project’s implementation is halted due to financial constraints,” Clr Ndemula explained.
He added the aim of the Office Park is to create sufficient office space for the Erongo Regional Council and accommodate under one roof decentralised Government Ministries.
Government ministries and agencies currently rent private office space across Swakopmund. It is expensive.
“This will also enable ministries to employ all required personnel to ensure effective service delivery to rural communities and the implementation of decentralised programs,” Clr Ndemula explained on the subject of many Ministries occupying unpractical and space-inefficient privately-owned floor space.
“The Regional Council cannot determine with surety when the project will commence, as the project is not reflected on the Medium-term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2017/18 or 2019/20.”
“We still want to see the realisation of the project. Currently the offices (of the ministries) are scattered and people are renting. We want to be able to monitor and coordinate activities of the various ministries,” Clr Ndemula said.
During his address, Clr Ndemula also presented the operational budget entailing an estimated expense of N$65.91 million for 2017/18.
This estimated expense includes Uis which upgraded from a Village Council to a Settlement and which would require a budget of N$5.29 million for 2017/18.
The Regional Council would be able to collect revenues of an estimated N$4.59 million of the N$65,91 million. The remaining N$61,32 million has to be funded by Central Government.