Oshikango is a former village in northern

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and since 2004 part of the town of

Helao Nafidi Helao Nafidi is a town in Ohangwena Region in northern Namibia at the border to Angola. It has been established in 2004 as an amalgamation of several villages and settlements along the main road between Oshikango and Ohangwena which are both also ...

, although it still maintained its own village council for a number of years. ''Oshikango'' is still the name of the border post with

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and the

electoral constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

for this suburb. It is estimated to have grown from "a tiny cluster of

shebeen A shebeen ( ga, síbín) was originally an illicit bar or club where excisable alcoholic beverages were sold without a licence. The term has spread far from its origins in Ireland, to Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, the En ...

s around an open market into a thriving boomtown with around 5,000 to 8,000 inhabitants over a period of 10 years".

History

The Oshikango area was heavily affected by the 1966 to 1989

South African Border War The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and Angol ...

between

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and its allied forces (mainly

UNITA The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola ( pt, União Nacional para a Independência Total de Angola, abbr. UNITA) is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought alongside the Popular Movement for ...

) and the Angolan government and the

South West Africa People's Organisation The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

(SWAPO). The war ended with South Africa agreeing to Namibian independence. In 1996 Oshikango, along with many other settlements in the area, was proclaimed a village with the aim of increasing border trade.

Economy

The border post between Namibia and Angola has brought business opportunities to Oshikango and the surrounding area. With the help of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

Export Processing Zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cust ...

consisting of 14 warehouses was established there. The nearby village of Omafo, now a suburb of Helao Nafidi, hosts an annual trade show. The parallel prevalence of land owned by the village of Oshikango, the town of Helao Nafidi, and land under traditional jurisdiction has led to uncertainties about ownership that had to be settled in court. There are some manufacturing companies in Oshikango, for example Fatima Plastic which donated

Engela Engela is an Ovambo people, Ovambo settlement in the Ohangwena Region in northern Namibia. Formerly situated in the Oukwanyama area it is since 2004 part of the town Helao Nafidi, although it still maintained its own village council until the Nami ...

hospital the cost of building a bridge after a flood. Chicco, a building material wholesaler, has also set up shop in Oshikango, and there are also large retailers like Pick n Pay and Fysal Fresh Produce. Most villagers however, still mainly survive by agriculture and face the risk of periodic

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

Transport

In mid-2005, the second stage of the new Northern Railway between Oshikango and

Oshivelo Oshivelo is a settlement in northern Namibia. Transport and infrastructure Oshivelo has a clinic that in 2014 was refurbished and named after Catherine Bullen, a woman that died here in 2002 due to inadequate facilities. In early 2005, the n ...

began construction. By mid-2006, it had reached

Ondangwa Ondangwa (earlier spelling ''Ondangua'') is a town in the Oshana Region of northern Namibia, bordering the Oshikoto Region. Ondangwa was first established as a mission station of the Finnish Missionary Society (the FMS) in 1890. In 1914, it became ...

. A train service known as the '' Omugulugwombashe Star'' traveled weekly on this track until the locomotives broke down after a few rounds of service. In 2008, a short extension across the border was proposed to bypass the congested border post. The next station to the south is

Ohangwena Ohangwena is one of the fourteen regions of Namibia, its capital is Eenhana. Major settlements in the region are the towns Eenhana and Helao Nafidi aa well as the self-governed village of Okongo. , Ohangwena had 150,724 registered voters. Ohangw ...

Life

Oshikango is considered the business hub of the North in Namibia. Many foreign as well as local investors have chosen Oshikango as their stepping-stone for exports into Angola. A governing body dubbed the Oshikango Business Association, in conjunction with Local Government as well as the NCCI ( Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry) regulate all business related matters in the area.

External links

Map of Oshikango

References

{{coord, 17, 24, S, 15, 53, E, region:NA_type:city, display=title Angola–Namibia border crossings Helao Nafidi Populated places in the Ohangwena Region