Swakopmund, Erongo Region, 8th February 2023 – The Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) signed the Memorandum of Agreement on hard water softening. 

The environmental Investment Fund of Namibia’s role is a national entity responsible for mobilizing funds and investing them into community projects like this one should remain prominent to address the dire needs of our communities in rural areas. It is mandated with implementing community projects to improve the lives of our people in communal areas. 

This historic occasion ceremony saw the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform and the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia are signing an agreement which will herald a much needed relief to rural communities all over Namibia. In September last year, the MAWLR and EIF, witnessed the handover of the Reverse Osmosis Units installed at the three community waterpoints, namely communal farms Vrede, Goeiegeluk Pos and Santamab Pos 1 in the Spitzkoppe are of Erongo Region. These technologically advanced facilities will contribute massively to improving community livelihoods of the communities at these 3 communal farm. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform and the EIF have collaborated on many projects throughout the country. This signing ceremony is therefore a culmination of this collaboration. 

As per the Memorandum of Agreement, the Ministry will transfer Fifteen Million Namibian Dollars (N$15 million) to the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia for purposes of water-softening systems (mini desalination plants) project. The financing of these water points of these facilities is aimed at water softening at community water points at proposed pilot projects in the ten (10) regions in collaboration with the decentralized function of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Coordination to make it suitable for human consumption and irrigation purposes. The ten regions are Erongo, Hardap, //Karas, Oshikoto, Kunene, Kavango East, Kavango West, Ohangwena, Omusati and Zambezi respectively. Erongo Region was included for theft proofing, securing and reinforcing solar panel refencing of the solar panels infrastructure and converting of windmills into solar at Goeiegeluk Pos and Santamab Pos 1 sites in the Spitzkoppe are of Erongo Region. 

The Executive Director in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water And Land Reform, Ms. Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, denoted that “I am delighted to announce this official signing between the two parties for the funding of the proposed pilot projects in the ten (10) regions in collaboration with the decentralized function of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Coordination. The ten regions are Erongo, Hardap, //Karas, Oshikoto, Kunene, Kavango East, Kavango West, Ohangwena, Omusati and Zambezi respectively”. 

The agreement between the two parties shall commence on the effective date and shall continue thereafter until 31 December 2024 unless otherwise terminated or extended by a party in accordance with the provision of the agreement signed between the two parties. 

“As a Fund, we do all we can to support the transition to a more sustainable future and we want this transition to come as fast as possible. It is my firm belief that the water softening facilities that we are going to put up at various community waterpoints across 10 regions of our country will enhance the resilience of the communities to the impacts of climate change and enable them to diversify their livelihoods by growing vegetables in their backyard gardens achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all”, says Mr. Benedict Libanda, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia. 

For more information contact: 

Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF) 

Lot Ndamanomhata 

Tel: +264 811601846/+264614317706 

Email: LNdamanomhata@eif.org.na 

About EIF 

The Environmental Investment Fund is Namibia’s own response to the growing global need for green financing. Established in terms of the Environmental Investment Fund Act, Act 13 of 2001 with a mandate to raise funding for investments into projects and programmes that promote sustainable development it is currently one of the fastest growing green and climate financing institutions in Africa. As part of its vision to be “a recognized leader in the development and application of innovative financing mechanisms to support sustainable development and ensuring inclusive development for all the people of Namibia. 

Amongst its recognizable impacts to date since inception, the Fund has disbursed grants valued at more than N$ 583 million, ensured that more than 240, 256 hectares of land are under conservation, 71 grants approved for different environmental projects, created more than 950 employment opportunities mostly rural based and include season ones and retrofitted 120 boreholes that benefitted more than 77 000 who now have access to portable drinking water and attracted N$ 820 million for concessional Green Credit Line with participating commercial bank from Agence Française de Développement (AFD) under the SUNREF project in Namibia. To-date attracted and mobilised more than N$1.7 billion mostly from multilateral and developmental funding institutions and partners.