Namibia, Angola sign bridge deal

The Namibian and Angolan government on Friday signed an agreement on the construction of three international bridges across the Okavango River. The Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and Angola’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Georges Chicoti, signed the agreement at Calai in southern Angola. Nandi-Ndaitwah said the bridges would boost socio-economic development in both countries. The bridges will be built at Nkurenkuru in the Kavango West Region, between Rundu and Calai where there is a temporary floating bridge, and in the Gciriku area of the Kavango East Region. Nandi-Ndaitwah said the bridges would not only increase trade and communication between the two countries but would also have a positive impact on other members of the Southern African Development (SADC). “The bridges will enable ... the movement of people and goods and I hope that implementation will be done speedily,” she said. She appealed to the two countries not to let the agreement collect dust in an office but to implement it promptly. Nandi-Ndaitwah, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, thanked the governor of Angola’s Cuando-Cubango Province, Eugenio Lopez Canelo, and Kavango East Governor Samuel Mbambo for their role in the project. The two countries have not yet agreed on the start of the construction or who will foot the bill. Meanwhile, the inauguration of the controversial floating bridge between Rundu and Calai , which had been scheduled for March 24, was cancelled at the last minute. The Angolan government started building the floating bridge last June following an agreement between the two countries. Bonny Kahare, the Chief Control Officer in the Office of the Kavango East Regional Governor, told Nampa that the inauguration was cancelled because the Angolan government had failed to produce an Engineering Clearance Certificate indicating that the bridge meets international safety standards. Kahare said Namibian engineers had not yet inspected the bridge to give the green light for it to be used. The cancellation of the bridge’s inauguration came as a slap in the face of the Angolan government, as all their delegates reportedly arrived at Calai to witness the event. With the floating bridge not yet approved for traffic, those crossing the Okavango River are using the temporary border crossing at the Rundu Beach entertainment area. CALAI NAMPA