N$30m earmarked for Windhoek electrification
The City of Windhoek (CoW) has been allocated N$30 million through a Service Level Agreement (SLA) signed between the Ministry of Industrialisies, Mines and Energy, and Regional Electricity Distributors (REDs).The SLA forms part of the ministry’s broader commitment to providing consistent oversight, support, and strategic leadership in pursuit of national electrification goals.
According to the ministry’s executive director, Ben Nangombe, under last year’s SLA the CoW received N$16 million for electrification initiatives and managed to connect around 800 households in the capital. With this year’s allocation nearly doubled, he anticipates a significant increase in household connections.
“Today, we are talking about an amount of N$30 million, and we are, of course, going to see more and more households in the urban areas of Windhoek being connected to electricity,” he remarked.
Although the affordability of electricity has recently become a key concern particularly in Windhoek, where the City has proposed a 3% tariff hike to the Electricity Control Board (ECB) that would see consumers receiving only 38 units of electricity for N$100, some believe the focus is misplaced.
“The ministry is not prioritising what’s important. Why are they rushing to electrify homes when most people can barely afford electricity? They should first focus on making it affordable for our people,” a concerned member of the public said.
Access
Nangombe explained that under the current administration, the ministry has a clear mandate to increase access to electricity from the current 59.4% to at least 70% over the next five years. “We are talking about connecting no less than 200 000 households to electricity by 2030 in peri-urban, urban, and rural areas across our country/”
Regarding affordability, Nangombe noted that electricity tariffs in Namibia are cost-reflective, based on how electricity is generated. He emphasised that the bulk of the country’s electricity is imported, making prices vulnerable. However, he reassured the public that efforts are underway to reduce costs.
“If we are able to increase our generation capacity and improve our transmission lines, this will, in the long run, place us in a position where electricity prices could decrease,” he said.
Under the new SLA, funding was distributed as follows:
City of Windhoek: N$30 million
CENORED: N$20 million
Erongo RED: N$20 million
NORED: N$30 million
Tsumkwe hybrid solar system upgrades: An additional N$16 million allocated.