N$2.9 billion for road completions
The Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Enterprises, Maureen Hinda-Mbuende, recently announced that N$4.2 billion will be spent in the 2023/24 fiscal year while N$13.1 billion of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF ) has been assigned to the sector responsible for developing the necessary infrastructure to implement the development agenda.The transport sector received N$2.9 billion, plus a further N$9 billion under the MTEF.
According to Hinda-Mbuende, this allocation is primarily intended for the completion of ongoing road construction projects that have already been contracted. “These include the completion of the Windhoek-Okahandja expressway, Phase 2 of the Swakopmund-Henties Bay-Uis-Kamanjab road, Phase 1 of the Hosea-Kutako airport road in Windhoek, and withholding funds for the upgrade of the Walvis Bay-Kranzberg railway line. In addition, N$100 million was allocated for the apron expansion of Hosea Kutako International Airport over a period of two years.”
She added that the transport allocation will be supported by N$1.5 billion from the Road Fund Administration (RFA), which will be used, amongst others , for road maintenance and rehabilitation of roads leading to the port of Walvis Bay. It also includes upgrading the Peter Eneas Nanyemba road to a dual carriageway, repaving roads in Etosha National Park and building low-traffic roads across the country.
According to Hinda-Mbuende, Namibia must also react to developments in artificial intelligence in road traffic, especially vehicles with new software applications. She also expressed concern about road safety. "Good roads may encourage drivers to speed, so it's important that road financiers work to improve road safety education."