Although not much came out of the cooperation agreement of 15 years ago between Tsumeb Municipality and Oshakati Town Council, the two decided to renew the agreement.
At a signing ceremony that took place today at Oshakati, the Mayors of Oshakati and Tsumeb made a commitment to pursue another cooperation endeavor for mutual interests.
The first agreement was signed in July 2008 by Tsumeb mayor at the time Mr Engel Nawatiseb and Oshakati mayor at that time Ms Katrina Shimbulu.
“Today I register my excitement in witnessing this momentous and historic occasion in the bilateral relationship between our sister towns, Oshakati and Tsumeb,” said Oshakati Mayor Mr Leonard Hango.
“As per our records, this is the second time that the Tsumeb Municipality and Oshakati town are signing this twinning agreement. The ceremony here today indicates a genuine intent by the two local authorities to advance the development at our respective towns.”
Hango further stated that all towns have challenges that are equally faced globally as those that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 and the recent challenges in the global economic environment which is now causing inflations on commodities.
“Renewing this agreement should enable us to share knowledge and skills pertaining to seeking amicable ways to assist our communities who are severely affected by these challenges that we face,” he said.
The current agreement has identified areas of mutual interest such as cooperation in human resource and capacity building in the form of staff and councilors exchanges and training in areas of mutual interest; local economic development and tourism promotion; information technology and system operations; cooperation in the provision of emergency services; technical assistance and exchange in areas of common interest; cooperation in town planning, sustainable urban development; community and youth development strategies; good governance practices; and public health and environment management.
“I would like to salute Oshakati Town Council for its political will in agreeing with this concept of cooperation, and on behalf of Tsumeb Municipality I commit to this agreement to make it a success,” said Tsumeb Mayor Mr Matheus Hangula.
“Colleagues you would agree with me that before the outbreak of COVID-19 I was here in 2018, where I posed and asked what was the intention for us to enter into a twinning agreement between the two sister towns?
“Yet that agreement had been just collecting dust. Was it a matter of collecting S&T, or was it a matter for publicity’s sake. I think that it is not the purpose. The purpose is to assist each other in terms of human development and also in terms of alleviating our people from unemployment.
“And I believe and have hope that with the capable CEOs of the two towns, who have common interests, I hope this twinning agreement will not collect the same dust as the one signed in 2008,” Hangula said.
In the photo: Tsumeb Mayor Matheus Hangula and Oshakati Mayor Leonard Hango signing the twinning agreement between the two towns; standing are the CEOs of the towns, Ms Victoria Kapenda of Tsumeb and Timoteus Namwandi of Oshakati.
