Arandis to roll out Vision 2016

ARANDIS – The Arandis Town Council is ready to roll out its Vision 2016, which aims at making the town economically sustainable.

Speaking to Nampa in an interview last week, Arandis Mayor Daniel Muhuura said the local authority drafted a 10-year strategic plan because the town had not made any economic progress since the Roessing Uranium Mine handed over the town to Government in 1991. “We nearly became a ghost town,” he said, adding that in 2005, they decided to draft a strategic plan that will look at short-term and long-term programmes to be implemented before the year 2016.Muhuura said the strategic plan includes the establishment of a local economic development strategy and marketing of the town to investors.He said before investors can be wooed to the town, there is a need to have some basics in place, like financial institutions and well-known supermarket chains.Two banks have given the town council confirmation that they will open branches in the town, while negotiations are ongoing with some of the major supermarkets.Arandis currently relies on bank agents who visit the town once a week.The town’s leadership is also fighting to get its clinic upgraded to a hospital.The health centre was downgraded from hospital to clinic some years ago.The mayor said the downgrading was a great loss to his community, who now have to travel to hospitals at Usakos and Swakopmund.”Very often, patients do not have the resources for transport and have to do without this service,” he noted.The Ministry of Health and Social Services plans to upgrade the Arandis clinic during the 2009/10 financial year.Nampa”We nearly became a ghost town,” he said, adding that in 2005, they decided to draft a strategic plan that will look at short-term and long-term programmes to be implemented before the year 2016.Muhuura said the strategic plan includes the establishment of a local economic development strategy and marketing of the town to investors.He said before investors can be wooed to the town, there is a need to have some basics in place, like financial institutions and well-known supermarket chains.Two banks have given the town council confirmation that they will open branches in the town, while negotiations are ongoing with some of the major supermarkets.Arandis currently relies on bank agents who visit the town once a week.The town’s leadership is also fighting to get its clinic upgraded to a hospital.The health centre was downgraded from hospital to clinic some years ago.The mayor said the downgrading was a great loss to his community, who now have to travel to hospitals at Usakos and Swakopmund.”Very often, patients do not have the resources for transport and have to do without this service,” he noted.The Ministry of Health and Social Services plans to upgrade the Arandis clinic during the 2009/10 financial year.Nampa