Ondjiva — Namibian ambassador Leonard Lipumbu highlighted on Monday (8) in Ondjiva, Angola's southern Cunene Province, the importance of the Cunene River Water Transfer System in the Cafu region, aimed at combating drought and stimulating irrigated agriculture.
The diplomat made these remarks to the press after a meeting with the Vice-Governor for the Political, Social and Economic sector of Cunene, Apolo Ndinoulenga, as part of his five-day visit to this province.
On the occasion, he said that the scale of the project implemented by the Angolan Executive has a high social and economic impact on the communities, which previously faced difficult situations due to water scarcity. "Namibia has a great interest in the Cafu Canal, which is a project designed to transport water to the population, livestock and agricultural practices in the southern region of our country," he emphasized.
He recalled that in April of this year, the two countries signed an agreement in the field of electricity aimed at transporting electricity to Namibia, in order to boost the industrial sector and communities.
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He stated that the purpose of the visit is to meet with the local government and identify areas where they can work together, especially in the border region, and to firmly uphold the commitments made since the liberation struggle of Angola and Namibia.
He emphasized that after Angola's independence in 1975, the country continued to help Namibia until it achieved its freedom in 1990, thus working together in the promotion and emancipation of the economy.
Leonard Lipumbu said it is essential that these bonds of friendship shared in various fields continue, especially in the economic sector, for the sustainable development of both states. Ambassador Leonard Lipumbu's working trip to Cunene includes a meeting with Namibian citizens imprisoned at the Peu Peu Prison and a visit to the Cafu Canal.
The diplomat will also travel to the town of Cassinga, in Huíla province, where more than 600 Namibian refugees and SWAPO fighters died on May 4, 1978.
In Cunene Province, the construction of the Ndue and Caluveve dams and their respective canals in the municipality of Cuvelai is still underway, as well as projects on the right bank of the Cunene River, including the Hita Hita dam in Cahama.
The Cafu Canal consists of a system for capturing and transferring water from the Cunene River to several villages, through a 160-kilometer-long aqueduct.
It also has 30 chimpacas (places for watering livestock), each with a capacity of 30 million liters.
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