EDITORIAL: Windhoek must plan before chasing grants

Windhoek’s loss of an N$206 million German grant should not be dismissed as foreign donors imposing unsuitable ideas on Namibia. It exposes a failure to develop locally grounded projects before funding opportunities reach an advanced stage.

The grant was allocated in 2021, yet the feasibility study establishing whether residents would use the cycling network was conducted only between November 2024 and April 2025. When the study found that projected usage and emission reductions were too low, the City submitted an electric-bus alternative before the funding window closed.

Councillors are right that European transport models cannot simply be transplanted to Windhoek. Long distances, heat, unsafe roads and public transport shape how residents travel. However, climate funding is provided to achieve measurable environmental results. Requiring evidence of reduced emissions is not an unreasonable “string”.

The lesson is that Windhoek must stop designing projects around available grants and instead build an integrated transport plan around demonstrated public needs. Electric buses, safer pedestrian routes and carefully selected cycling corridors may all have a place, but they require early research, public consultation, proper costing and realistic implementation plans. Otherwise, more valuable opportunities will be lost.