By: Annakleta Haikera
Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare has urged Namibian businesses and investors to invest beyond urban settings and into rural communities to improve livelihoods.
A large percentage of commercial entities in Namibia are established in or within the vicinity of urban areas, while only a few are in rural areas, consisting of mostly commercial farms.
Thus, jobs are mostly created in urban areas, leading to the economically active population migrating to urban areas.
Ngurare made the call last weekend during the handover of a N$800,000 Case IH JX95 tractor donated by the Frans Indongo Group to the Ukwangali Traditional Authority.
The donation was made as part of the group’s social investment efforts, with the tractor intended to assist pensioners and vulnerable farmers who struggle to afford ploughing services.
The PM highlighted that legitimate corporate social investment can be impactful to communities.
“Social investment is most powerful when it leaves behind something that keeps working long after the cameras have gone,” Ngurare said.
Urging the community to maintain and protect it, and use it to grow more food, create work and support one another.
He said Kavango Regions havea fertile land, access to water and a strong farming tradition, but farmers have often struggled to access agricultural machinery.
“Land has not been an issue. Access to tools to till it has been the stumbling block,” he said.
Ngurare said the tractor would particularly benefit people who cannot afford to prepare their fields themselves.
He urged communities to work together in cultivating their land, saying increased food production could help reduce hunger and strengthen household livelihoods.
Ukwangali Traditional Authority Hompa Eugen Siwombe Kudumo said agriculture should be a priority in Namibia, urging communities to use every available opportunity and resource to produce food for their families.
Siwombe said the tractor should not be viewed merely as a farming tool, but as an important community resource that must be properly managed and maintained by the traditional authority.
He said the initiative was aimed at assisting pensioners and vulnerable people who cannot afford to pay for ploughing services provided by tractors from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The traditional authority had planned to raise funds to purchase its own tractor to complement government efforts, but the Frans Indongo Group eventually came on board and donated one.
Siwombe said residents who can afford the service will pay N$400, with the money to be used towards fuel and maintenance.
He urged farmers to make use of the opportunity to increase food production, stressing that early preparation of fields would benefit farmers as the rainy season approaches.
Jessica Hawina, a farmer from Mayara village, welcomed the donation, saying access to a tractor has been a challenge for many farmers who depend on manual labour or expensive private ploughing services.
She said the tractor would make it easier for farmers to prepare their fields on time and increase production.
Mukoya Hamunyera from Kahenge village said the tractor could make a significant difference for elderly and vulnerable farmers who struggle to prepare their fields.
He said the equipment would provide much-needed support to farmers who cannot afford private tractor services.
The tractor donation follows the Ukwangali Traditional Authority’s fundraising gala dinner held on 31 July 2026 at Kahenge Tribal Hall, which raised N$363, 000 towards agricultural equipment.
Held under the theme “Cultivating Prosperity: Empowering Communities through Agriculture,” the gala aimed to improve access to farming machinery for subsistence farmers, particularly pensioners and vulnerable members of the community.
The fundraising drive was intended to strengthen agricultural production in the community by ensuring that farmers have access to equipment needed to prepare their fields.
annakletahaikera@eaglefm.com.na
