27 February 2010 Caprivi Regional Development Forum inception Meeting Present: 1. Annette Mabuku 2. Albert Malopa 3. Sammy Limbo 4. Bernard Sililo 5. Njekwa Njekwa 6. Victor Musiwa (Chairman) 7. Ndereki Sihope 8. Makeba Maswahu 9. Mubita Lisho 10. Charlie Ntema 11. Sibungo Kingsley 12. Matomola Cornelius 13. Kabuku Mwanangombe 14. Sankwasa Felicity 15. Sankwasa Faith 16. Mwanangombe Milner 17. Irvinne Simataa (Moderator) 18. Nawa Sikanda 19. Muzimbwa Rozias 20. Kamwi Kamwi 21. Sililo Matsamai (Moderator) Introduction Mr. Victor Musiwa official opened the meeting by welcoming all in attendance and set the tone for the discussions to follow. In his capacity as Chairman of the meeting, Victor briefly introduced the Caprivi Regional Development Forum initiative with specific reference to the terms of reference which had been circulated to all in attendance beforehand. The terms of reference are appended to these notes. All in attendance acknowledged that the fundamental principles laid out in the terms of reference were sound and were thus adopted as the governing framework of the initiative. Victor then introduced the key note speaker, Mr. Sammy Limbo. Mr. Limbo then proceeded to read through the terms of reference drawing attention to the specifics and stressing the importance of working within the adopted framework. All in attendance agreed that this youth initiative was necessary to augment and accelerate current development efforts within the region. It was resoundingly agreed that the initiative will in no way hinder or perform the work of local government but rather provide support to local government and provide a platform for engagement. Donor Funding
The Zambezi Modelling Academy, a renowned Namibian modeling agency and brainchild of Mr. Sylvester Simubali (A Native of the Caprivi Region), pledged N$ 20, 000 to the Caprivi Regional Development Forum. In announcing the donation, marketing and communications manager Miss Nangula reiterated Zambezi modeling academy’s commitment to youth development. Accepting the donation on behalf of the Forum, Mr. Musiwa praised Zambezi Modelling Academy for their continued commitment in youth development and emphasized that the company will not regret the investment they had made. The forum will continue working with the modeling agency to champion youth development. Points of Discussion Six pillars of development were identified and adopted as the main key performance areas of focus. These were; 1. Tourism 2. Agriculture 3. Infrastructure 4. Youth Development 5. Health 6. Education All in attendance agreed and adopted the above mentioned pillars as the basis of the discussions that were to follow. General comments were solicited from all in attendance before discussions of the main issues and the main comments that were noted were the following; • Fear of resistance from the regional council was highlighted as an issue. However, it was agreed that the forum role is not perform the tasks of the regional council but rather to support and table innovative ideas that will help local govern and thrust youth development in the region. • The need to understand the status of regional youth empowerment structures currently, their role, effectiveness and their impact on the community. This applies to local government as well. All in attendance acknowledged that this will be the task of the steering committee once elected. • The need to form a task group that will engage the regional leadership to present ideas emanating from this forum. • The need to include Katima Mulilo based youth so that this initiative is inclusive and discussions are based on real problems on the ground. • Overall, all in attendance agreed that there is a need for a platform of this nature where developmental ideas are managed and channeled through for the betterment of the region. • All in attendance agreed that the region has contributed immensely to the human intellectual pool of the country as whole but the region continues to struggle with developmental challenges in all spheres. Points of discussion
The premise of the discussion was to identify key areas of focus within each of the six pillars of development that were identified. This then would form the basis of further research and discussions. The issues identified were as follows: 1. Tourism a. Investment Attraction b. Identify areas of focus within the sector c. Marketing of the region as a tourism hub d. Local involvement in tourism – Business ownership, job creation or use of tourism facilities e. What is it that Caprivi is good at? 2. Health a. Hygiene in town ‐ Littering, waste management and general cleanliness of town b. Pollution and waste management c. State hospital d. Health education – awareness through media, etc e. Access to health care centers in the rural areas. f. Alcohol abuse especially among the youth g. HIV/AIDS education h. Hospital Management 3. Infrastructure a. Roads b. Civil works – sewage and drainage c. Cemetery – fenced off d. Street lights e. Street names f. Recreational facilities g. Waterfront project h. Formalization of informal settlements 4. Youth Development a. Youth center – How effective is it? What are their plans? b. Engage NYC to understand what projects they have in the region and how we can augment their effort. c. Incentives for young professionals in the region d. Skills development 5. Agriculture a. Commercialization of Crop farming b. Farmer education – Farmers weekly and workshops c. Education and awareness of financial resources available through AgriBank Strategic focus for the region in terms of agriculture…Maize, Millet, Rice or aquaculture. The main question is where should the effort be directed to? Are the current national projects in the region effective? d. Commercialization of the fishing industry. 6. Education a. Career guidance in schools – workshops, school visits etc. b. High failure rates at schools c. Dilapidation of school infrastructure d. Availability of resources such as textbooks, lab equipment and computers.
e. Skilled and qualified teachers f. Peer education within schools – HIV/AIDS and alcohol abuse. These were the main issues that all in attendance felt needed the most urgent attention and should be adopted as project streams. All in attendance agreed that it was the incoming interim committee’s job to engage the relevant stakeholders t unbundle these issues and bring the challenges to the fore. Election of the interim Committee The election of the interim committee was executed as per normal democratic standards. It was a process of nomination, seconding the nomination and if more than two candidates were up for a position a vote would be taken. The following incumbents were elected: Chairperson: Mr. Sammy Limbo Vice Chairperson: Mr. Ndereki Sihope Secretary: Mr. Irvinne Simataa Treasurer: Ms. Felicity Sankwasa PROs: Mr. Victor Musiwa Ms. Faith Sankwasa All in attendance agreed that the election process was free and fair and the incumbents could assume office. Closure The chairman then thanked everyone for attending and reemphasized the need for continued dialogue amongst the members and the sensitization of the forum to potential future members. All in attendance were informed that the date of the next general meeting will be announced once the interim committee has set.