The City of Windhoek has invested more than N$203 million in expanding electricity access and upgrading public lighting since 2018, with a further 1,300 households set to be connected to the electricity grid under the latest phase of its informal settlement electrification programme.
Windhoek Mayor Sakarias Uunona said the city’s Informal Settlement Electrification Programme has connected 8,045 households in previously underserved communities over the past eight years through a cumulative investment of N$157.5 million, largely financed through grants from the Namibian government.
“Since the inception of the City’s Informal Settlement Electrification Programme in 2018, the City of Windhoek has successfully electrified 8,045 households to date within the informal and previously underserved communities. This achievement represents a cumulative investment of approximately N$157.5 million,” Uunona said.
The latest phase of the programme will see 12 electrification projects implemented across Okuryangava, Goreangab, Otjomuise, Mix Settlement and Morning Star after the city appointed 12 electrical contractors in April.
Valued at N$33.5 million, the projects are expected to provide electricity to an additional 1,300 households over the next seven months.
According to Uunona, construction is already underway at most sites, with excavation, pole installation, conductor stringing and ready-board installations progressing, while the first household connections have already been completed at Mix Settlement.
Beyond household electrification, the city has invested N$13.85 million since 2018 to install 37 high-mast lights in informal settlements, transport corridors, public spaces and other high pedestrian traffic areas to improve safety and security.
The municipality has also launched a N$12 million Streetlight Survey Project, which will inspect and digitally map more than 17,000 municipal streetlight poles over the next 28 months.
Uunona said the project goes beyond creating an inventory of streetlight infrastructure, with repairs to faulty lights and damaged poles taking place as defects are identified.
“Importantly, this project is not merely an asset verification exercise. As survey teams move through the city identifying faulty streetlights, damaged poles and defective infrastructure, repair and maintenance activities will be undertaken simultaneously,” he said.
The mayor said the streetlight survey has already created 34 fixed-term jobs, including the recruitment of 30 employees to support implementation.
He said the combined investments demonstrate the municipality’s commitment to improving electricity access, strengthening public safety and expanding basic services to underserved communities.
“Taken together, these investments reflect an unprecedented commitment to improving access to electricity and public lighting in Windhoek,” Uunona said.
