Oranjemund to emulate Swakop

The Oranjemund Town Council has approached the Swakopmund Municipality with a request to cooperate in a number of areas.This would allow Oranjemund, in the //Karas Region, to tap from Swakopmund in the Erongo Region's knowledge of how to properly run, transform and ensure the sustainability of the town.Oranjemund CEO, Shali Akwaanyenga, made the request for a memorandum of understanding in a letter to the Swakopmund Town Council in February this year.The letter was part of the council's agenda discussed at the ordinary meeting held Wednesday.“The agreement seeks to encourage and support the exchange of knowledge and practical experience in various fields of specialisation and share information materials and any other information of mutual interest,” reads the letter.The envisaged cooperation aims for the two towns to develop tourism promotion initiatives to increase bilateral tourism flow, and promote the importance of tourism and travel as an economic engine. Apart from being coastal towns, Oranjemund and Swakopmund share interests in mining and tourism which are the backbone of their economies.Other areas of cooperation include environmental and health management, town planning, community development strategies and waste management.Approached for comment on Thursday, Oranjemund's acting CEO and manager of infrastructure and technical services, Festus Nekayi, confirmed the request. “Being a new council, we want to lean on well-established towns such as Swakopmund to help us develop fast,” said Nekayi.The diamond mining settlement was managed by the Namdeb Diamond Corporation, formerly known as Consolidated Diamond Mines, since 1936 and it was proclaimed a town in 2012.Oranjemund has more than 10 000 residents.Nekayi said the council is in the process of establishing by-laws, training and selecting human capital.The Swakopmund management committee requested the Oranjemund council for a schedule, including the timeline and activities for the formulation of the strategic plan. This means they will only sign the agreement once the information requested has been submitted.“Oranjemund Town Council should indicate the financial responsibilities of both councils in writing for consideration,” committee chairperson Errki Shitana said while reading the recommendations during the council meeting.Swakopmund has twinning agreements with other towns, including Otavi.NAMPA

Oranjemund to emulate Swakop

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-17

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Oranjemund to emulate Swakop

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-17

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