"After a two-week study, I have found that tribalism is alive in employment appointments in the region," Boois said in a press release.

He added that foreign domination of jobs in the mining sector was still common.

"I have noticed that foreigners still occupy senior positions which could be occupied by Namibians.

This is particularly true for the mining sector," he said.

Boois made this statement in response to a recent protest by Nama-speaking people who claimed that the Karas regional government discriminated against them when it came to job allocation.

They charged that Nama-speaking people were overlooked and that only Owambo-speaking people secured Government positions in the Karas Region.

They also protested against the high unemployment and poverty in the region and complained about the lack of a tertiary education institution there.

Furthermore, they claimed that corruption was rife in the region.

Boois admitted that constituency offices and local development committees had failed to address the plight of the region's inhabitants.

He urged regional councillors to pull up their socks to make the existing structures functional in order to bring socio-economic growth to the region.

Boois said talks with the mining sector and other stakeholders were underway to look at the possibility of setting up a tertiary education institution in the region.

He called upon the business fraternity to support the region's socio-economic development.

The governor also took a swipe at churches and parastatals, saying they "need to do more in order to make their mark as well".

Boois said allegations such as tender fraud levelled against regional leaders made him "uncomfortable".

He urged Government ministries to ensure that tenders were awarded on a competitive basis.

A seminar is scheduled for October to address the widespread poverty and unemployment in the region, Boois said.

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