Namibia risks falling short of the National Development Plan 6 (NDP6) target of connecting 200,000 new households to electricity, a goal that would require about 33,000 new connections a year and investment of roughly N$800 million annually.
According to Abraham Hangula, Deputy Director for Energy and Planning in the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy, the country continues to face challenges in expanding electricity access.
He said the proportion of households connected to the national grid declined from 49% in 2018 to 47% in 2022.
Over the same period, the number of unconnected households increased from about 451,000 to 465,000, despite the addition of roughly 20,000 to 30,000 new connections each year.
The total number of households rose sharply from 546,454 to 708,398, indicating that current electrification efforts are largely keeping pace with new household formation but are failing to reduce the historical access backlog.
“Current annual investment stands at approximately N$250 million, but reaching national targets would require significantly higher funding levels. The key takeaway is that while grid expansion remains important, solar energy is the real game changer, particularly as the country moves into the costly ‘last-mile’ phase of electrification,” Hangula said.
He added that renewable energy, especially solar, will play a decisive role in closing the access gap. An estimated 12% to 15% of households already rely on solar solutions, lifting overall electricity access to about 50.5% when off-grid systems are taken into account.
As solar technology becomes more affordable and efficient, the government plans to scale up renewable-based access, particularly in remote and last-mile communities where grid connections are increasingly expensive.
Namibia currently produces only about 40% of its electricity domestically, with the balance imported. Hangula said greater investment is needed in local generation capacity, renewable resources such as solar and wind, and regional power trade projects to strengthen energy security and improve affordability. Nuclear energy is also being considered as part of the country’s long-term decarbonisation and supply reliability strategy.
“While grid expansion remains important, renewable energy, particularly solar, is emerging as the key game changer. As Namibia moves deeper into the ‘last-mile’ phase of electrification, grid connections become significantly more expensive. Solar and other renewable solutions offer a more practical and cost-effective alternative for reaching remote households,” he said.
