A conservation and rural development programme funded by KfW Development Bank through the Community Conservation Fund of Namibia (CCFN) has invested approximately N$92 million in water infrastructure projects across rural Namibia.
According to CCFN Chairperson Andrew Corbett, a significant portion of the funding was directed towards improving water access in rural communities.
Over the six-year implementation period, 67 boreholes were rehabilitated while 48 new boreholes were drilled.
“To provide a few examples: approximately N$92 million was invested in water infrastructure. Sixty-seven boreholes were rehabilitated, and 48 new boreholes were drilled. In addition, around N$75 million was disbursed through services and community forestry structures, directly supporting the work of approximately 760 game and forest guards,” Corbett said.
The programme also disbursed approximately N$75 million through conservancy and community forestry structures to support service delivery and conservation management activities.
The funding directly supported around 760 game and forest guards responsible for wildlife monitoring, natural resource management and reducing human-wildlife conflict across communal conservancies.
The investment forms part of a broader six-year support programme aimed at strengthening Namibia’s community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) system, which combines environmental conservation with rural economic development.
The programme focused on strengthening conservancies and community forests through infrastructure development, livelihood diversification, resilience-building initiatives, COVID-19 recovery support and human-wildlife conflict mitigation.
Corbett said the initiative also funded small-scale community infrastructure projects, including libraries, aimed at improving education and access to information in rural areas.
He said the programme played a critical stabilising role during the COVID-19 pandemic, when tourism revenues collapsed and many conservancies came under severe financial pressure.
“The most significant programme has been the poverty-oriented support to community conservation, largely funded by the KfW Development Bank over the past six years. Focus areas have included infrastructure such as libraries, livelihood diversification, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, COVID-19 recovery, and resilience-building interventions,” Corbett said.
He added that the programme is now shifting focus from short-term support measures towards long-term sustainability aimed at ensuring conservancies remain economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.
