THE Erongo Regional Council hosted the 2025 Uis Investors Conference on Friday to promote the settlement’s town aspirations and economic development potential.
The conference was held amid the Erongo Regional Council’s ongoing efforts to elevate Uis’ status from settlement to town.
Deputy minister of urban and rural development Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele said this goal may be within reach.
“I am proud to report to this assembly that the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has already agreed in principle to the request by the Erongo Regional Council to return Uis to its former glory. Thus, we are just waiting for the council’s final report on matters we engaged them on which need urgent attention before the request can finally be granted. In essence, we are ready as a ministry to grant that request for us to be elevated,” she said at the event.
Uis is positioning itself as a hub for development for a variety of reasons, including its strategic location linking the western corridor to the northern part of Namibia and western and central African countries.
Erongo chief regional officer Mpenzeni Ntelamo said the government is already investing in road infrastructure as part of the western corridor, making it ideally situated for investors. The soon-to-be town further boasts extensive mineral resources, natural beauty, and a rich cultural heritage, he said.
Ntelamo further spoke on the importance of revitalising places such as Uis to combat rural migration.
“Studies have revealed that people move because of economic activities. And through the fulfillment of the decentralisation policy, if we can bring that development to the people, we can actually control issues around migration as well,” he said.
!Nawases-Taeyele said the conference sent “a clear message to the national and international community that there is an overwhelming move towards positive change and that Uis settlement is open for business”.
