Windhoek: The Kavango West Regional Directorate of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture has officially handed over construction sites to the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) for education infrastructure projects valued at nearly N.dollars 5 million. The projects are set to create significant employment opportunities for local youth, according to the NTA.

According to Namibia Press Agency, at a ceremony held at Maporeza Primary School on Friday, officials announced the construction of multiple classroom blocks across the region. The flagship project at Maporeza will include two blocks of four classrooms each, installation of water tanks and stands, and construction of ablution facilities, at a total value of N.dollars 3.3 million. An additional project at Cause Primary School in the Mpungu Constituency will see the construction of an additional block of four classrooms valued at N.dollars 1.6 million, bringing the total investment to nearly N.dollars 5 million.

NTA Site Manager, Erick Haukongo said the NTA has made employment creation a cornerstone of these construction projects. ‘The authority is actively inviting local graduates from all technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, including internship students, to submit their CVs at construction sites for employment consideration. Their focus centres on skills development, skills transfer, and empowering unemployed youth and VTC graduates while delivering durable infrastructure.’

Planning and Development Director at the Kavango West Regional Council, Egidius Nambara confirmed that NTA will create employment opportunities specifically for TVET graduates and members of the local community, with detailed reports on job creation to be submitted to the chief regional officer for council reporting.

Community representative Erastus Kankara emphasised the importance of hiring local youth, both skilled and unskilled, to ensure communities are provided ‘bread and butter’ opportunities beyond receiving buildings. Kavango West Regional Council chairperson, Fillipus Tenga emphasised that these developments directly respond to growing demand for adequate learning spaces and demonstrate commitment to addressing overcrowding in the region’s schools. The new facilities are expected to commence operations in 2026.

At Cause Primary School, which currently serves 204 learners with only two classrooms, Tenga highlighted the urgent need for additional infrastructure to provide a conducive learning environment.