Oshana Region
Oshana Region | |
|---|---|
 Location of the Oshana Region in Namibia | |
| Country | Namibia |
| Capital | Oshakati |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Elia Irimari |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,647 km2 (3,339 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 230,801 |
| • Density | 27/km2 (69/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (CAT) |
| HDI (2017) | 0.669[4] medium · 4th |
| Website | oshanarc |
Oshana is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia; its capital is Oshakati. The towns of Oshakati, Ongwediva and Ondangwa, all situated with this region, form an urban cluster with the second largest population concentration in Namibia after the capital Windhoek. As of 2020[update], Oshana had 113,112 registered voters.[5]
Geography
[edit]Oshana is one of only three Namibian regions without either a coastline or a foreign border. It borders the following regions:
The name Oshana describes the most prominent landscape feature in the area, namely the shallow, seasonally inundated depressions which underpin the local agro ecological system. Although communications are hindered during the rainy season, the fish which breed in the oshanas provide an important source of dietary protein.
Economy and infrastructure
[edit]The Oshakati-Ongwediva-Ondangwa complex has experienced dramatic urban growth in recent years and forms an important commercial and potential industrial focus. As a whole, it forms the second largest population concentration in Namibia after Windhoek, but it still lacks basic infrastructure and most of the services and facilities normally found in urban areas of this size. The majority of businesses in northern Namibia are located here, providing a significant amount of employment. However, urbanisation is continuing within the region.
The area is far more densely populated in north, which is linked to Tsumeb and other regions by the high quality trunk road; this also facilitates the transport of freight. However, a significant improvement in the rest of the road network and in other forms of telecommunications are required. Oshakati and Ondangwa have airstrips which handle medium-sized airplanes in daylight only and provision can be made for both passengers and airfreight. The establishment of a control tower may contribute to the improvement of all-weather air and transport. Oshakati has a state hospital which supports a number of clinics. Although both primary and secondary schools are spread across the region, they are few relative to the amount of inhabitants of the region.
Omahangu is the principal staple crop grown in Oshana, which is suitable for agriculture. However, the soil is exhausted over much of the central area and requires substantial fertilisation in order to maintain reasonable productivity. Cattle also do well here and herds are extensive. The southern portion of Oshana is an extensive savannah plain stretching as far as the Etosha Pan, but the generally high salinity of soil and water render it unsuitable for grazing or cultivation.
According to the 2012 Namibia Labour Force Survey, unemployment in Oshana Region is 24.5%.[6] Oshana has 137 schools with a total of 50,740 pupils.[7]
Politics
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The region comprises eleven constituencies:
Electorally, Oshana region is consistently dominated by the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO).
Regional elections
[edit]In the 2004 regional election for the National Assembly of Namibia, SWAPO won in all constituencies by a landslide.[8]
The 2015 local and regional elections saw SWAPO obtain 92% of the total votes (2010: 91.0)[5] and win uncontested seven of the eleven Oshana constituencies.[9] The remaining four constituencies SWAPO won by a landslide, with results well over 90%.[10] Although SWAPO's support dropped to 65.4% of the total votes in the 2020 regional election it again won in all constituencies. Only in Ondangwa Urban did the upstart Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), an opposition party formed in August 2020, come close to a council seat.[5]
Governors
[edit]Clemens Kashuupulwa was appointed governor of Oshana in 1998.[11] He was reappointed in 2015 following the 2014 election[12] and served in this position until November 2018. In March 2019 Elia Irimari was appointed to succeed him.[13]
Demographics
[edit]As of 2023, Oshana has a population of 230,801. In the general population, women outnumber men, with only 86 males per 100 females. The population is roughly evenly split, with 53.2% living in urban settlements as opposed to 46.8% in rural settlements. The population density is 26.7 people per km2. 4.3% of residents are not Namibian citizens. There are 60,412 private households, averaging 3.7 members.
The population is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%, with a fertility rate of 3.1 children per woman. 12.7% is under 5, 22.1% 5-14, 35.5% 15-34, 22.3% 35-59, and 7.3% over 60.[14]
Marital status
[edit]24.2% of the adult population is married, either with certificate (17.6%), traditionally (1%), in a consensual union (1.3%), divorced (0.7%), or widowed (3.2%). The population generally marries older, with only 0.2% of the current youth population married before age 18.[14]
Education and employment
[edit]The literacy rate has decreased from 2011 to 92%. 30.8% percent of pre-primary youth attend Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs. The maximum level of educational attainment is mostly primary (40.8%), with only 27.5% pursuing secondary education and 15.1% pursuing tertiary education. 5.7% has no educational attainment. 39.3% of inhabitants earn a wage or salary as their primary source of income, 17% receive an old-age pension, 14% rely on farming, and 8.2% are involved in non-farming business. [14]
Technology access
[edit]From 2011 to 2023, technology access largely improved. As of 2023, 98% of the population has access to safe drinking water, compared to 84.1% in 2011. 76.5% have access to toilet facilities, a 22.4% increase. The proportion of the population that has access to electricity for lighting has risen from 31% to 51.3% since 2011. Access to the internet has risen to 32.6%, while cellphone ownership is relatively stable at 59.4% (from 57.2% in 2011).[14]
Gallery
[edit]-
Ovamboland, Oshana, Efundja -
Oshakati street market
External links
[edit]- Official website Oshana Regional Council
References
[edit]- ^ "Namibia's Population by Region". Election Watch (1). Institute for Public Policy Research: 3. 2013.
- ^ "Oshana 2011 Census Regional Profile" (PDF). Statistics Namibia. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ "2023 Population & Housing Census Preliminary Report" (PDF). Statistics Namibia.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ^ a b c "Regional Council 2020 Election Results". Interactive map. Electoral Commission of Namibia. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ Duddy, Jo Maré (11 April 2013). "Unemployment rate still alarmingly high". The Namibian. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
- ^ Miyanicwe, Clemans; Kahiurika, Ndanki (27 November 2013). "School counsellors overstretched". The Namibian. p. 1.
- ^ "Electoral Act, 1992: Notification of Result of General Election for Regional Councils" (pdf). Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia. No. 3366. Government of Namibia. 3 January 2005. p. 7.
- ^ Kangootui, Nomhle (23 October 2015). "Swapo gets ǃNamiǂNûs uncontested". The Namibian. Archived from the original on October 24, 2015.
- ^ "Regional Council Election Results 2015". Electoral Commission of Namibia. 3 December 2015. p. 18. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015.
- ^ "'People Say I'm the Second Mugabe'", New Era, 14 April 2015.
- ^ "President announces governors". The Namibian. 10 April 2015. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ Ashipala, Nuusita (13 March 2019). "Councillor Irimari appointed as governor of Oshana". New Era. p. 1.
- ^ a b c d "2023 Population and Housing Census Main Report" (PDF). Namibia Statistics Agency. 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
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Constituencies in the Oshana Region of Namibia | ||
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