President Joo Lourenço Concludes Visit to Cunene Province with Dam Inaugurations

Cunene: President Joo Lourenço on Saturday concluded his two-day working visit to Cunene Province following the inauguration of the Ndúe and Calucuve dams in Cuvelai Municipality. The inauguration of the latter hydraulic infrastructure was attended by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, as a special guest. President Joo Lourenço's visit concluded with a press briefing. On Saturday evening, President Félix Tshisekedi was due to return to his country, while Joo Lourenço was scheduled to travel back to Luanda, the Angolan capital. According to Angola Press News Agency, on the first day of the visit, the Angolan Head of State inaugurated the Cunene Youth Centre 'Olukeno', an initiative of First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço under the social responsibility programme of the Ngana Zenza Foundation for Community Development (FDC). Ndúe and Calucuve are two of the five strategic projects included in the Programme to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola (PCESSA), which has be en underway since 2019 under the continuous supervision and attention of the Angolan Head of the Executive. The Ndúe dam, located 97 kilometres from the municipal seat of Mukolongodjo in Cuvelai Municipality and extending through the municipalities of Chissuata and Cafima, will initially benefit around 55,000 residents and 60,000 head of cattle. The infrastructure includes a dam measuring 32.80 metres in height and 1,500 metres in length, with a storage capacity of 170 million cubic metres of water, a 75-kilometre water conveyance canal and 15 chimpacas, serving various economic and social purposes and benefiting local communities, agriculture and livestock. The Calucuve dam, located 34 kilometres from the commune of Mukolongodjo, also in Cuvelai Municipality, will benefit nearly 200,000 head of cattle and more than 80,000 residents of the region. The dam is 31.60 metres high and 2,184 metres long, with a storage capacity of approximately 141 million cubic metres of water. It also includes a 240-kilometre wa ter conveyance canal and 22 chimpacas. Construction of the Ndúe and Calucuve dams began on 28 October 2021, following the laying of the foundation stone by the then Minister of State for the Social Area, Carolina Cerqueira. Both dams are expected to play a fundamental role in combating the cyclical drought that has affected communities in southern Angola. In addition to increasing water availability in the region, the dams are also expected to promote socio-economic development and stimulate economic activity through job creation, disease mitigation and other benefits. Among their main objectives, Ndúe and Calucuve are intended to reduce water shortages in the Cuvelai basin, provide water to communities and livestock, strengthen food security, support agricultural development, promote tourism activities and encourage the rehabilitation of public infrastructure. The Programme to Combat the Effects of Drought in Southern Angola aims to provide water to communities and strengthen agriculture in the provinces of Cunene, Huíla, Namibe and Benguela.