Urban and Rural Development Deputy Minister Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele has welcomed plans to service 436 plots in Otjiwarongo as part of the informal settlement upgrading programme. 

Taeyele expressed this at the groundbreaking ceremony for housing development, water reticulation, and servicing two new extensions in the town.

The Development Workshop of Namibia is undertaking the land servicing project at a cost of N$7 million as part of the new extensions of the Eie Risiko settlement.

"The challenges of rapid urbanisation and rural-urban migration, as well as their manifestations, among others, in the form of informal urban settlements and development, can only be addressed meaningfully and sustainably through collaborative effort and investment by the state and non-state role players and partners."

The water and sewer reticulation services at extensions 24 and 25 are valued at a cost of N$4.5 million by the Namibia Housing Action Group.

The deputy minister reaffirmed that the ministry will continue supporting sustainable, people-centred development that speaks to land and housing.

Otjiwarongo Mayor Gottlieb Shivute stated that the low-cost housing project will help eradicate shacks in the town.

"It's not just about pouring concrete; this is about giving power back to the people who have had the least of it. We are growing up building a future where no one has to introduce themselves as from the informal settlement; they will proudly say, I'm from extension 16 or 17."

Project representatives of the Development Workshop of Namibia and the Namibia Housing Action Group were also present at the event.