Oshana Region

{{Other|Oshana (surname)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox settlement  | name = Oshana Region | native_name = | native_name_lang =  | settlement_type = [[regions of Namibia|Region]] | image_skyline = | image_alt = | image_caption = | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = Oshana in Namibia.svg | map_alt = | map_caption = Location of the Oshana Region in [[Namibia]] | pushpin_map = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = | coordinates = | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Namibia]] | established_title = | established_date = | founder = | seat_type = Capital | seat = [[Oshakati]] | government_footnotes = | leader_party = | leader_title = Governor | leader_name = Hofni Iipinge<ref name=oversight/> | unit_pref = Metric | area_footnotes = <ref name=ElectionWatch>{{cite journal |year=2013 |title=Namibia's Population by Region |journal=Election Watch |publisher=Institute for Public Policy Research |issue=1 |page=3}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 8,647 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_water_percent = | area_note = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_total = 230,801 | population_as_of = 2023 census | population_footnotes = <ref name =Census2011>{{cite web |url=https://cms2.my.na/assets/documents/p19dptss1qlrdo691ir01l6g3e77.pdf |title=Oshana 2011 Census Regional Profile |access-date=10 April 2020 |website=Statistics Namibia |df=dmy |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nsa.nsa.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Preliminary-Report-doc-fn.pdf|title=2023 Population & Housing Census Preliminary Report|website=Statistics Namibia|df=dmy|access-date=16 March 2024 | archive-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324152514/https://nsa.nsa.org.na/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Preliminary-Report-doc-fn.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone = [[Central Africa Time|CAT]] | utc_offset = +2 | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code = | area_code_type = | iso_code = | unemployment_rate = | blank_name_sec1 = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2017) | blank_info_sec1 = 0.669<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-13}}</ref><br/>{{color|#fc0|medium}} · [[List of Namibian regions by Human Development Index|4th]] | website = {{URL|oshanarc.gov.na}} | footnotes = | mottoeng = | official_name = }}

'''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}}, Oshana had 113,112 registered voters.<ref name=election2020>{{Cite web | title=Regional Council 2020 Election Results | publisher=[[Electoral Commission of Namibia]] | date=18 January 2021 | series=Interactive map | url=http://elections.na | accessdate=1 November 2021}}</ref>

==Geography==

Oshana is one of only three [[Namibia]]n regions without either a coastline or a foreign border. It borders the following regions: *[[Ohangwena Region|Ohangwena]] - north *[[Oshikoto Region|Oshikoto]] - east *[[Kunene Region|Kunene]] - south *[[Omusati]] - west

The name ''Oshana'' refers to the most prominent landscape feature in the area: shallow, seasonally inundated depressions that underpin the local agroecological system. Although communications are hindered during the rainy season, the fish that breed in the Oshana provide an important source of dietary protein.

==Economy and infrastructure== 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 the 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 other forms of [[telecommunication]]s is required. Oshakati and [[Ondangwa]] have [[Airport|airstrips]] that handle medium-sized airplanes in daylight only, and provisions can be made for both passengers and air freight. The establishment of a [[control tower]] may contribute to the improvement of all-weather air and transport. Oshakati has a state hospital that supports a number of clinics. Although both primary and secondary [[school]]s are spread across the region, there are few relative to the number of inhabitants of the region.

[[File:Typical landscape of Oshana Region, Namibia.jpg|thumbnail|right|Typical landscape of the Oshana 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 fertilization 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 the Oshana Region is 24.5%.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2013/april/article/unemployment-rate-still-alarmingly-high/ |title = Unemployment rate still alarmingly high |last = Duddy |first = Jo Maré |date = 11 April 2013 |newspaper = [[The Namibian]] |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130414025748/http://www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2013/april/article/unemployment-rate-still-alarmingly-high |archive-date = 14 April 2013 }}</ref> Oshana has 137 schools with a total of 50,740 pupils.<ref>{{cite news |title=School counsellors overstretched |last1=Miyanicwe |first1=Clemans |last2=Kahiurika |first2=Ndanki |date=27 November 2013 |work=[[The Namibian]] |page=1}}</ref>

==Politics== [[File:Wahlkreise in Oshana (2014).svg|thumb|360px|right|Oshana constituencies (2014)]]

The region comprises eleven [[Constituencies of Namibia|constituencies]]: {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * [[Okaku Constituency|Okaku]] * [[Okatana Constituency|Okatana]] * [[Okatyali Constituency|Okatyali]] * [[Ompundja Constituency|Ompundja]] * [[Ondangwa Rural]] * [[Ondangwa Urban]] * [[Ongwediva Constituency|Ongwediva]] * [[Oshakati East]] * [[Oshakati West]] * [[Uukwiyu Constituency|Uukwiyu]] * [[Uuvudhiya Constituency|Uuvudhiya]] {{div col end}} Electorally, the Oshana region is consistently dominated by the [[South West Africa People's Organization]] (SWAPO).

===Regional elections=== In the [[2004 Namibian local and regional elections|2004 regional election]] for the [[National Assembly of Namibia]], SWAPO won in all constituencies by a landslide.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Electoral Act, 1992: Notification of Result of General Election for Regional Councils | newspaper=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia | issue=3366 | page=7 | publisher=[[Government of Namibia]] | date=3 January 2005 | url=http://www.lac.org.na/laws/2005/3366.pdf | format=pdf}}</ref>

The [[Namibian local and regional elections, 2015|2015 local and regional elections]] saw SWAPO obtain 92% of the total votes ([[2010 Namibian local and regional elections|2010]]: 91.0)<ref name=election2020/> and win uncontested in seven of the eleven Oshana constituencies.<ref name=uncontested>{{cite news|last=Kangootui |first=Nomhle |newspaper=[[The Namibian]] |title=Swapo gets ǃNamiǂNûs uncontested |url=http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?page=read&id=33153 |date=23 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024163513/http://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?page=read&id=33153 |archive-date=October 24, 2015 }}</ref> The remaining four constituencies SWAPO won by a landslide, with results well over 90%.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Regional Council Election Results 2015 | publisher=[[Electoral Commission of Namibia]] | date=3 December 2015 | page=18 | url=http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/223442/Regional+Counils+Election+Results_Duly+elected+candidates+2015.pdf/32493774-80b3-4be3-9ca1-1f6ce187673a?version=1.0 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208163948/http://www.ecn.na/documents/27857/223442/Regional+Counils+Election+Results_Duly+elected+candidates+2015.pdf/32493774-80b3-4be3-9ca1-1f6ce187673a?version=1.0 | archive-date=8 December 2015 }}</ref> Although SWAPO's support dropped to 65.4% of the total votes in the [[2020 Namibian local and regional elections|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.<ref name=GG7654>{{Cite news | title=Publication of results and particulars in respect of general elections for Regional Councils: Electoral Act, 2014 | newspaper=Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia | issue=7654 | pages=18–19 | publisher=[[Government of Namibia]] | date=8 October 2021 | url=http://www.lac.org.na/laws/2021/7654.pdf | format=pdf}}</ref>

===Governors=== [[Clemens Kashuupulwa]] was appointed governor of Oshana in 1998.<ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/201504141372.html "'People Say I'm the Second Mugabe'"], ''New Era'', 14 April 2015.</ref> He was reappointed in 2015 following the [[Namibian general election, 2014|2014 election]]<ref name=Governor>{{Cite news | title=President announces governors | newspaper=[[The Namibian]] | date=10 April 2015 | url=https://www.namibian.com.na/president-announces-governors/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20150414075438/http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=25471 | archive-date=14 April 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> and served in this position until November 2018. In March 2019, [[Elia Irimari]] was appointed as governor.<ref>{{Cite news | title=Councillor Irimari appointed as governor of Oshana | last=Ashipala | first=Nuusita | newspaper=[[New Era (Namibia)|New Era]] | date=13 March 2019 | page=1 | url=https://neweralive.na/posts/councillor-irimari-appointed-as-governor-of-oshana}}</ref> When his term ended in June 2025, [[Hofni Iipinge]] was appointed in July 2025.<ref name=oversight>{{Cite web | date=1 July 2025 |title=Seven new regional governors appointed |url=https://thebrief.com.na/2025/07/seven-new-regional-governors-appointed-as-president-tightens-oversight/ | website=thebrief.com.na |language=en-ZA}}</ref> [[File:Observation Tower ‘OSHUNGO YA SHAKATI 02.jpg|thumb|'''Side view of Observation Tower ‘OSHUNGO YA SHAKATI''' ]]

==Demographics== 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.<ref name="Census">{{Cite web|title=2023 Population and Housing Census Main Report|url=https://census.nsanamibia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf|publisher=Namibia Statistics Agency|year=2023|access-date={{today}}|archive-date=2024-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241110234059/https://census.nsanamibia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2023-Population-and-Housing-Census-Main-Report-28-Oct-2024.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Marital status===

24.2% of the adult population is married, either with a 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.<ref name="Census"/>

===Education and employment===

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% have 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. <ref name="Census"/>

===Technology access===

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).<ref name="Census"/>

==Gallery== ==External links== * [https://oshanarc.gov.na Official website] Oshana Regional Council {{Wikivoyage|Four-O region}}

==References== {{reflist}}

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[[Category:Oshana Region| ]] [[Category:Regions of Namibia]] [[Category:States and territories established in 1992]] [[Category:1992 establishments in Namibia]]