Ondangwa has a new airport terminal

President Hage Geingob has inaugurated the new N$84 million airport terminal at Ondangwa in the Oshana Region, a facility he described as part of Namibia’s intention to become the logistics hub for Southern Africa. Friday’s event also served as the groundbreaking ceremony for a new runway. President Geingob said the new state-of-the-art terminal is expected to establish a new benchmark of functional efficiency and operational safety for airports in Namibia. “It also exemplifies our intent as a nation to build world-class infrastructure,” he said. Geingob said Namibia is sandwiched between two economic giants, Angola to the north and South Africa in the south. “Angola is a country that has broken free from the yoke of war and is using its wealth in natural resources to rapidly develop its economy,” he said. “To the south we have South Africa, a country with a well-established and superior manufacturing base.” Speaking at the same event Namibia Airports Company Chief Executive Officer Tamer El-Kallawi said Namibia has the potential of becoming an air connection hub and the NAC is strategically positioning itself to claim this niche market and make it their own. To that effect, NAC has adopted a three-year turnaround strategy. El-Kallawi said NAC is in a sound financial position and intends to capitalise on its strength and aggressively pursue growth in the sector. “The Ondangwa airport terminal is a world-class, state-of-the-art facility that presents a modern airport that is designed to mirror the culture and way of life of our people,” he said. A key improvement to the terminal building was the inclusion of more commercial services space to increase participation of local people in the economy through trading. The construction work was done by the Quindao Construction Company. ONDANGWA PLACIDO HILUKILWA