The Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, says his ministry will no longer tolerate mismanagement of conservancies’ funds and nepotism in its committees.
Shifeta issued the warning at the handover of grants to ǂKhoadi ||Hoas Conservancy in the Kunene Region.
Shifeta says his office is filled with complaints of conservancies not working in the interest of the communities, including failures to hold meetings and compile reports of how funds are used.
Shifeta further warned that conservancies or community forests should not be used to push tribal, political, racial, or ethnic lines to divide community members, but they must be a tool to address rural economic emancipation.
The German government has provided over N$213 million to help address human-wildlife conflict and mitigate COVID-19 effects on conservancies.
Beatrice Lucke is the Country Director of KfW Development Bank, and she will oversee and support the project implementation of the grant.
At the event, some lion rangers from different conservancies were awarded trophies, livestock, and cash prizes for their hard work.
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