Government ministry responsible for housing, urban development, sanitation, and local authority oversight in Namibia, criticized for budget cuts and unmet service delivery targets.
Three decades into independence, Namibia has expanded rural infrastructure including water supplies reaching 92.85% of rural households, constructed 419 new schools mostly in villages, and grown the road network from 41,800km to nearly 49,000km. However, challenges including high poverty, food insecurity, and uneven access to services remain, with experts noting the urban-rural development gap has not been fully closed.
Three decades into independence, Namibia has expanded rural infrastructure including water supplies reaching 92.85% of rural households, constructed 419 new schools mostly in villages, and grown the road network from 41,800km to nearly 49,000km. However, challenges including high poverty, food insecurity, and uneven access to services remain, with experts noting the urban-rural development gap has not been fully closed.
Poor living conditions and lack of employment and services in rural areas are driving Namibians to towns and cities, with the rural and urban population now roughly equal. The government is implementing programmes including small-scale farming support and infrastructure development in rural areas to create opportunities and encourage people to remain in villages.
The City of Windhoek plans to formalise informal settlements by creating approximately 11,226 erven, with 3,587 in the first phase. The city is fast-tracking land-use planning, completing environmental assessments, and launching an electrification project to expand basic services in informal areas within one to two months.
The United Democratic Front highlighted pressing challenges affecting communities in Kunene and northern regions during a consultative meeting with President Nandi-Ndaitwah, including human-wildlife conflict that is impoverishing rural households, a legal dispute involving the regional council, housing shortages, and educational inequality between rural and urban schools. The party noted that rural residents bear the costs of wildlife conservation while wild animals are regarded as national assets, and proposed dialogue-based solutions to ongoing disputes.
Jackson Muma, CEO of Okongo Village Council, discussed ongoing infrastructure and land delivery projects, including servicing 55 plots in Block 103 with N$5.6 million in funding, allocating 121 semi-serviced plots to the Shack Dwellers Federation, and developing an open market. Over the next five years, the council plans to position Okongo as an investment centre focusing on agriculture, tourism, and sports development, including construction of a 7-hectare sports field.
An IPC parliamentarian criticized the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development's reduced N$1.9-billion budget, arguing it will fail to address Namibia's housing shortage. He noted the ministry received N$2.7 billion the previous year but built only 194 housing units in Windhoek and Opuwo combined, while an estimated 12,000 shacks are erected annually.
Rehoboth Town Council is rolling out prepaid water and electricity meters across all suburbs to improve revenue collection and reduce its N$150 million debt to NamWater. The installation runs from March to June 2026, with monthly rental fees tiered by residency status, and a 70/30 payment system designed to gradually clear existing arrears while maintaining service access.
Seven former Erongo Regional Council councillors claim the council owes them over N$1 million in unpaid accrued leave days, citing a 2022 government directive that allowed leave days to roll over. The council says payment authorisation rests with the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and it is awaiting formal instruction to pay the remaining 100 leave days owed to each councillor.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called for further exploration of alternative housing technologies after inspecting a demonstration house built using Alternative Building Technology (ABT) panels in Okahandja Park. The President directed government officials to explore how the technology could be scaled up to help address Namibia's housing backlog, and commended the Namibian entrepreneurs behind the initiative.
Raphael Mbala, newly inaugurated Ngambela of Masubia Traditional Authority, says the authority faces poor financial status and deep community divisions after nearly four years without a substantive chief. He plans to restore financial transparency, strengthen governance systems, and rebuild unity through improved communication and adherence to cultural succession principles.