Call for partnership between Agribank and Kavango-East Governor
KAVANGO East Governor Bonifatius Wakudumo has called on Agribank to partner with his office on plans to transform the agricultural sector in that region. The governor made this plea while addressing Agribank stakeholders during the ‘Let’s Talk’ stakeholders engagement session in Rundu recently.
Wakudumo noted it is saddening for the two Kavango regions to be classified as the poorest in the country despite the fact that it has water in abundance and fertile soil with favourable climatic conditions that are suitable for agriculture.
“I want, after five years that are given to me to serve this region, to have made the agriculture sector more productive and sustainable in this region. Therefore, I want Agribank to come on board. In terms of land, I have a good relationship with the traditional authorities. We can avail massive land for agricultural purposes,” he stated.
The governor urged Agribank’s leadership to visit and familiarise themselves with current agricultural projects in the region.
On his part, Agribank’s CEO Sakaria Nghikembua welcomed the governor’s proposal and assured him of the Bank’s commitment towards engagements with regional leadership and farmers. “We are fully aligned in terms of our thinking. My team and I attach quite a lot of value to these engagements. We stand ready to engage,” Nghikembua said.
Meanwhile, Agribank extended its ‘Let’s Talk’ stakeholder engagement roadshow to cover the coastal towns, following numerous requests of engagements of this nature by farmers and the Bank’s stakeholders in the Erongo region. The engagement roadshow was scheduled to start yesterday in Usakos, before heading to Henties Bay, Walvis Bay and then concluding in Swakopmund.
During the coastal leg of this road show, the team is also set to meet and engage with HR officials of companies who signed up for payroll deduction agreements for Agribank’s no-collateral loan product.
Agribank’s nationwide awareness roadshow aims at introducing and sharing information about the Bank’s Covid-19 relief measures and stimulus package, which was introduced early this year to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on clients, while stimulating optimum production at the
farm level. The engagement also covered the Bank’s offerings to the women and youth. The roadshow was rolled-out in the Khomas region in June 2020 and is set to conclude this Friday, 4 December in Swakopmund.