By Joe-Chintha Garises
KEETMANSHOOP, Aug. 10 — The //Kharas region has been selected to host the 8th commemoration of the Africa Decentralization Day (ADD).
The commemoration of the day was instituted by heads of state at the 2014 summit in Malabo and was celebrated in Keetmanshoop.
The day was celebrated under the theme ‘Making food security a key priority for the territorial development and cooperation a theme that was an inspiration from the 2063 AU Agenda and heads of state decided to declare 2022 as the year of ‘Building resilience in nutrition on the African Continent, accelerate the human capital, social and economic development.
“The focus for this year’s theme is further dedicated to strengthening the fight against malnutrition in all its forms on the African continent, drawing on the potential of its population.
“Multiple factors including land and crop degradation, periodic droughts and weather-related shocks, poverty, limited access to basic food staples and essential services and population growth contribute to the emergency levels of malnutrition in Africa,” said the Minister of Urban and Rural Development Erastus Uutoni.
Uutoni added that poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition are becoming a challenge as the urban population rapidly increases.
He said the government is cognizant of people-centred development and prioritized the development of a supportive environment to address these social issues.
The minister said the food bank, drought relief programme, the old age social grant and grants to marginalized communities, people with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children, as well as the school feeding programme, have gone a long way to mitigate hunger and poverty among many vulnerable households as the government’s safety nets.
“Regional and local governments have critical roles to play in fighting malnutrition.
“Urban food security is an increasingly urgent priority in the face of climate change, rising food prices and growing urban populations brought about by an increasingly rural-urban migration,” he said.
Most people at risk are residents of low-income settlements within low-and middle-income categories he added.
“Increasing food production within urban areas has limited potential, but urban planning can play a major role by providing effective transport links, food storage facilities, adequate water and sanitation infrastructure and waste management.
“In addition, regional and local government should support community-led initiatives to improve food access and reduce food insecurity,” Uutoni added.
With better planning at the regional and local government level, the government’s full support for the provision of food security and nutrition in both urban and rural areas is guaranteed.
“While we are aware of the scarcity of land in the urban areas, there are modern technologies in a form of aquaponics and hydrogens that can be utilised to produce food all year round,” he informed.
The 2023 ADD celebration will be hosted by the Omusati region.
