Minister says Resources will Follow Performance at Regional Councils

Regional councils that fail to complete projects, spend development funds or deliver essential services will face greater accountability, with resources increasingly linked to performance, Urban and Rural Development Minister Sankwasa James Sankwasa has warned.

The warning was delivered by the ministry’s Executive Director, Evelyn Nawases-Taeyele, who officially opened the 2026 Annual Rural Development Progress Review and Planning Workshop in Swakopmund on the minister’s behalf this week. Addressing regional council chairpersons, chief regional officers, government officials and development partners, Nawases-Taeyele said rural development remains central to Namibia’s national development agenda, noting that 50.5% of the country’s population lives in rural areas according to the 2023 Population and Housing Census. She said the workshop should move beyond reviewing progress reports and instead focus on improving implementation, identifying challenges and contributing to the ongoing review of the National Rural Development Policy and Strategy.