The City of Windhoek’s unveiling of its People-Centred Smart City Strategy 2026-2036 represents one of the most ambitious urban development visions ever presented for Namibia’s capital.
From the commercialisation of municipal fibre infrastructure and digital governance systems to integrated public transport and even a proposed commuter rail link between Windhoek, Katutura and Rehoboth, the blueprint demonstrates a willingness to think boldly about the city’s future.
Such long-term thinking deserves recognition.
For many years, local authorities across the country have often been criticised for being reactive rather than strategic. In contrast, Windhoek’s new smart city strategy attempts to anticipate the pressures that rapid urbanisation, climate change, population growth and technological disruption will place on the city over the next decade.
Mayor Sakarias Uunona and his council are correct in recognising that cities cannot afford to stand still. The future competitiveness of urban centres increasingly depends on their ability to embrace technology, improve mobility and create environments that attract investment and innovation. In that regard, Windhoek’s aspiration to become a leading smart city in Africa should not be dismissed as unrealistic or overly ambitious.
Indeed, several aspects of the strategy are encouraging.
The idea of leveraging the city’s existing fibre-optic infrastructure to improve digital governance and create new economic opportunities reflects sound thinking. Better connectivity can stimulate entrepreneurship, support small businesses and improve access to municipal services. Likewise, integrating public transport systems and exploring non-motorised transport options aligns with international best practice and could contribute towards reducing congestion and improving productivity.
Perhaps the most intriguing proposal is the possibility of a commuter rail network connecting Windhoek, Katutura and Rehoboth. If properly planned and financially viable, such infrastructure could reshape commuting patterns, encourage more balanced urban development and reduce the growing pressure placed on roads.
These are not insignificant aspirations. They demonstrate a municipality attempting to think beyond the immediate electoral cycle and instead focus on what Windhoek might look like in 2036.
Yet visionary plans alone do not automatically translate into meaningful change.
As development analyst Loide Heita Amakali correctly pointed out, technology by itself cannot solve structural social and economic challenges. A smart city is not defined by applications, sensors or digital dashboards. It is defined by whether ordinary residents experience a better quality of life.
And this is where the City of Windhoek faces its greatest test.
The capital continues to struggle with housing shortages, unemployment, informal settlement expansion, deteriorating roads, water losses, sewerage challenges and the uneven provision of municipal services. Residents living in many parts of the city are less concerned about artificial intelligence or digital ecosystems than they are about potholes, refuse collection, street lighting and access to serviced land.
A city cannot become truly smart if the basics are neglected.
History offers numerous examples of grand development plans that failed because governments attempted to leap into sophisticated projects without first ensuring that foundational services functioned efficiently. Technology should complement service delivery, not substitute it.
This is why implementation will ultimately determine whether this strategy succeeds or joins the growing list of impressive documents that gather dust on office shelves.
Questions surrounding financing, institutional capacity and project prioritisation remain unanswered. Large-scale urban transformation projects require enormous capital investment and sustained political commitment that extends far beyond the tenure of current office bearers. Without realistic funding models and clear implementation timelines, even the most compelling visions can quickly become exercises in public relations rather than instruments of development.
Equally important is public trust.
Citizens have become increasingly sceptical of promises that do not translate into visible improvements. Confidence in the strategy will not be built through presentations and launch ceremonies, but through tangible progress. Residents must begin to experience measurable changes in mobility, service delivery and economic opportunities within the coming years.
The deputy mayor, Albertina Amutenya, rightly observed that the real work begins now. Partnerships, resource mobilisation and collaboration will all be essential if the vision is to move from paper to reality.
However, perhaps the most important question that should accompany every smart city discussion is a simple one: who benefits?
Will the strategy improve the lives of residents in informal settlements? Will young people struggling to find employment gain new opportunities? Will workers who spend hours travelling each day experience shorter and more affordable commutes? Will entrepreneurs and small businesses become more competitive? Will ordinary ratepayers receive better and more efficient municipal services?
Or will the primary beneficiaries be consultants, technology providers and a relatively small segment of society already positioned to take advantage of digital opportunities?
A people-centred strategy must ultimately be judged by its impact on people.
Windhoek should be commended for thinking boldly and planning ambitiously. Cities that fail to innovate risk stagnation and decline. But innovation should never come at the expense of the fundamentals.
The pursuit of a smart city must go hand in hand with the delivery of basic services. Because before a city can become intelligent, it must first become reliable.
The success of this ambitious journey will not be measured by how sophisticated the technology becomes, but by whether the average resident can honestly say that life in Windhoek has improved.
That, ultimately, is the standard by which this vision should be judged.
