WINDHOEK, March 16-- Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has officially opened the Omafo-Onandjaba road, a section of the 98-km Omafo-Outapi road project in northern part of the country.

Upon completion, the 98-km road will connect Ohangwena and Omusati regions located 750 km and 796 km respectively from the capital Windhoek.

Construction of the road, being built at a total cost of 960 million Namibian dollars (about 80 million U.S. dollars), has been made possible through a loan from the Exim Bank of China.

Speaking at the opening of the road on Monday, President Pohamba paid tribute to the government and people of China for their valuable assistance, based on the principles of South-South cooperation.

He said the opening of this road is another demonstration of the progress the Namibian government is making in expanding the country's road network. "Every year we make strides by adding several kilometers to our bitumen roads network," the president added. Opening of the Omafo-Onandjaba road comes days after President Pohamba inaugurated the Main Road 25 (MR 25) in the northeast Zambezi region built by Chinese company.