WINDHOEK - The Roads Authority has signed an agreement with Namibia Road Products and Services (NRPS) for the construction of a 35-kilometre road from Okatana through Endola to Onhuno in the Oshana and Ohangwena regions.

The road will be build at a cost of N$186 million. Speaking at the signing ceremony here on Thursday, Roads Authority (RA) acting Chief Executive Officer Conrad Lutombi said a number of small and medium enterprise (SME) contractors will work with NRPS to execute the project over the next 15 months.

The SMEs are Ngeyama Investment, which will be conducting road works, and BMZ Investment, Amukalu Properties, Shiveli Trading Enterprise, Kamwiitulwa Electric and Building Construction, Moza Investment, Bima Enterprise, Pisces Investment Holdings No.

Eight and Odjove Trading and Construction, all of which will be engaged in concrete works. Lutombi said the combined value of the SMEs’ portion of the work is approximately 27 percent of the project’s contract value, which amounts to N$51 million.

“The development of small and medium enterprises forms part of our efforts towards job creation and alleviating poverty. The RA is committed to developing SMEs in road construction and maintenance,” he said.

The acting CEO said the authority’s aims are to enhance capacity in road construction and maintenance projects and to assist upcoming entrepreneurs in building and operating commercially viable SMEs so that in future, they can become the main contractors for similar projects. He called on NRPS and the nine SME contractors to do quality work and said he is looking forward to the successful completion of the project within the given period. - Nampa