Patience Makwele
The City of Windhoek on Monday unveiled an ambitious 10-year blueprint seeking to reshape the capital through digital transformation, modern public transport systems, and technology-driven service delivery.
The newly launched People-Centred Smart City Strategy 2026-2036 aims to commercialise the city’s fibre-optic network, modernise public transport, and pursue a proposed commuter rail service linking Windhoek, Katutura, and Rehoboth.
Municipal leaders describe it as a people-first approach to urban development.
Speaking during the unveiling, the council’s mayor, Sakarias Uunona, officially accepted the strategy, stating that the initiative represents a commitment to ensure technology and innovation improve residents’ lives while creating opportunities and leaving no one behind.
“We must move from planning to implementation, from ideas to action, from ambition to impact,” Uunona said.
The strategy comes as Windhoek grapples with rapid urbanisation, increasing pressure on housing and municipal services, growing traffic congestion, climate challenges, and mounting demands for economic opportunities for its expanding population.
According to the council, the strategy is designed to provide a single framework that integrates several transformative projects already under consideration, including digital governance systems, improved urban mobility, enhanced connectivity, and innovation-driven economic development.
Uunona said the future of cities would not be determined by technology alone but by decisions taken today on inclusion, sustainability, and partnerships.
“We believe Windhoek can become a leading smart city in Namibia and a model for people-centred smart city development across Africa,” he said.
The proposed commuter rail network, integrated bus services, non-motorised transport infrastructure, and transit-oriented development model could greatly alter how residents move around the capital and surrounding areas, if successfully implemented.
The council also intends to leverage its fibre infrastructure as the digital backbone for smart city applications, thereby supporting digital governance, service delivery, and innovation ecosystems.
Deputy mayor Albertina Amutenya said the strategy provides a roadmap for building a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable city, but cautioned that its success would depend entirely on implementation.
“The real work begins now. We must continue to strengthen partnerships, mobilise resources, and work together to ensure that the vision outlined in this strategy becomes a reality for all Windhoek residents,” she said.
While city leaders presented the strategy as a transformative vision, key questions remain over funding requirements, implementation timelines, and the institutional capacity needed to deliver projects that have the potential to reshape Namibia’s capital over the next decade.
In an interview with the Windhoek Observer, development analyst and economist Loide Heita Amakali said the strategy represents a new shift in how municipalities think about development, but warned that technology alone cannot solve structural urban problems.
“A smart city is not about installing sensors, launching apps, or putting services online. It is about using technology as a tool to solve real problems that people experience every day. Windhoek’s biggest tests remain housing shortages, unemployment, inequality, and pressure on basic services. If digital transformation helps address those issues, then the strategy could be transformative. But if it remains a collection of technology projects without measurable social outcomes, it risks becoming an expensive vision document.”
Amakali said implementation would require substantial investment and long-term political commitment that extends beyond the terms of current municipal leaders.
She further noted that the proposed integration of commuter rail, public transport, and digital infrastructure could alter the city’s development trajectory if executed properly.
“Windhoek has for decades expanded in a fragmented manner, with economic activity concentrated in certain areas while many residents travel long distances for work and services. A well-planned transport and digital ecosystem could fundamentally change how the city functions. It could improve productivity, attract investment, and make services more accessible. However, the city will have to answer difficult questions about financing, institutional capacity, and execution, because large urban transformation projects often fail not because the vision is wrong, but because implementation falls short.”
She added that public confidence would ultimately depend on whether residents begin seeing tangible improvements in service delivery, mobility, and economic opportunities over the next few years, rather than merely hearing promises of a smarter future.
