The Executive Director of the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy, Ben Nangombe, has called for a fivefold increase in the ministry’s annual electrification budget – from N$200 million to N$1 billion – to fast-track access to electricity across Namibia.
Speaking at the recent National Electrification Acceleration Engagement, Nangombe warned that the country’s current electrification rate is too slow to meet national development goals and rising demand.
“Currently, we are able to connect about 3,000 to 5,000 households per year. To reach our goals, we must be connecting not less than 40,000 households per year,” he said.
“With every year that we miss that target, the burden in subsequent years grows heavier, and the backlog grows longer.”
To address the issue, Nangombe proposed a phased increase in the electrification budget over the coming years.
“We must also increase our annual spending exponentially, let’s say: from N$200 million, to N$300 million, to N$800 million to N$1 billion,” he said.
He stressed the need for prioritisation of projects in densely populated areas, where the cost per household connection is lower and implementation more feasible.
“We must prioritise and harvest the low-hanging fruit. This means pursuing and implementing electrification projects in densely populated, low-cost-per-connection areas and localities,” Nangombe said.
“These connections can generate revenue, stabilise distributors, and give them the strength to push the grid further into remote areas. This calls for strategic thinking and deliberate, focused planning and implementation.”
Nangombe also urged electricity distributors to take a leading role in planning and executing electrification projects.
“Planning and implementation must be spearheaded by you, the distributors.We cannot and must not talk about electrification as a goal for tomorrow. It is for today, and we must start delivering today. That’s what the directive from the President calls for. We need agility, and we need speedy and expeditious results,” he said.
