Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa has warned local authorities that wasteful spending and financial mismanagement are undermining service delivery and delaying critical infrastructure projects.
Speaking at the opening of the Namibian Association of Local Authority Officials (NALAO) Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting, Sankwasa said inefficiency and irregular procurement are directly eroding funds meant for housing, water and basic services.
“Every dollar lost to inefficiency or irregular procurement is a dollar directly stolen from a housing project or a water reticulation pipeline. I thus urge you to treat public funds with the sanctity they deserve because the vision of ‘smart’ urbanisation requires lean, transparent and accountable administration. We must move away from the ‘business as usual’ mentality and embrace a culture where every cent is accounted for and directed toward impact in the lives of our people,” he said.
The warning comes as rapid urbanisation continues to place pressure on housing delivery, land servicing and access to water and sanitation across Namibia’s towns.
Sankwasa said ageing infrastructure, particularly sewer systems, remains a major constraint on development, slowing efforts to expand housing and upgrade informal settlements.
“As a ministry faced with huge challenges of poor, ageing sewer and sanitation infrastructure in nearly all local authorities, mitigating against housing infrastructure development, we have to be innovative in our approach to the establishment of proper funding mechanisms that will help deliver such services,” he said.
He called for stronger collaboration between the ministry and local authorities, as well as the adoption of alternative funding models to accelerate service delivery.
The Minister also urged local authority officials to support councillors with objective, evidence-based advice, stressing that effective governance depends on strong institutions and adherence to the rule of law.
Sankwasa said the concept of “smart cities” must go beyond technology and focus on improving the daily lives of citizens through efficient, accountable and responsive administration.
