Staff Reporter
NAMWATER has completed the renovation and expansion of its Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC) facilities in Okahandja, a project aimed at improving training infrastructure while providing practical workplace experience for young Namibians.
The project involved the construction of five new hostel blocks, the upgrading of existing facilities and the addition of new ablution facilities.
In July 2025, NamWater HRDC entered into an agreement with NBT Quality Services for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the facilities. After 11 months of construction and renovations, the upgraded hostel facilities are now ready to accommodate additional trainees for the January 2027 intake.
NamWater Principal Officer for Career Programmes and Curriculum Implementation, Richard Kharuchab, described the completion of the project as a major milestone for the centre.
“Today it is actually one of the biggest milestones at HRDC when we had the official handover of the keys from the consultants and the contractors,” Kharuchab said.
He explained that the hostel facilities had remained incomplete for several years before the renovation project was undertaken, adding that the upgrades included the hostel blocks, HR office administration facilities and ablution areas.
“Some blocks did not have proper ablution blocks. It was just showers and toilets, but additional additions have been made. So it is a good milestone,” he said.
Beyond infrastructure improvements, the project also created opportunities for 10 HRDC trainees to gain practical workplace experience through job attachments in carpentry, plumbing and pipefitting, bricklaying and plastering, and electrical engineering.
One of the trainees, who is studying plumbing and pipefitting at NamWater HRDC, said the attachment provided valuable experience while allowing students to contribute to the renovation of their own training facilities.
“I was part of the renovation at the hostel at NamWater HRDC. It was a very good opportunity to work with the company and also to build my own hostel and renovate it,” the trainee said.
NamWater said the completed project represents more than an infrastructure upgrade, describing it as an investment in skills development, youth empowerment and the future workforce of Namibia.
Photos: NamWater
