N$5bn transport upgrade aims to make Windhoek mobility inclusive
The City of Windhoek is entering what mayor Ndeshihafela Larandja calls “the next major development battle” as the capital moves to overhaul its transport system before informal settlements double in size by 2031.
Speaking during the municipality's launch of the Sustainable Transport Master Plan, Larandja said Windhoek has run out of time for incremental fixes and must “pivot to a modern, equitable and environmentally responsible transport network that keeps pace with rapid urbanisation.”
The master plan outlines a roughly N$5 billion transformation of Windhoek's transport infrastructure over the next decade.
The framework is centred on green mobility corridors, expanded public transport, environmentally sustainable design and integrated planning that avoids the costly retrofitting of services long after settlements have taken shape.
Larandja warned that without a decisive shift in approach, Windhoek risks deepening spatial inequality, trapping thousands of low-income households in long, expensive and unreliable commutes far from schools, jobs and public amenities.
Mushrooming informal settlements
Projections show informal settlements could double in population and footprint by 2031, driven principally by migration from rural regions.
Larandja said that historic patterns of development have repeatedly placed new communities far from the city’s economic centres, forcing many residents to rely on walking long distances, expensive public transport or informal operators.
“A city cannot call itself equitable if mobility remains a privilege of the few,” she said. She added that the cost of low-connectivity urban growth has become evident in congestion, long travel times and persistent difficulty delivering affordable services.
Be proactive to save money
The proposed green mobility corridors would serve as a structural backbone of the new system, linking emerging suburbs with industrial areas, the city centre and transport hubs.
In addition to improving travel speeds and access, they are designed to support compact and efficient development, preventing Windhoek from expanding outward faster than infrastructure can support.
Larandja argued that protecting road reserves and mobility routes early on is far less expensive than attempting to cut road networks through already-established settlements later. “We must stop planning retroactively,” she said. “Once an informal settlement is in place without road reserves, the cost of service installation multiplies.”
Public transport sits at the heart of the reform, including restructured municipal bus operations, more frequent services, improved terminal designs and systems that can compete with private cars on reliability, comfort and travel time.
Ensuring dignity
Larandja said a dependable public transport system is fundamental to reducing congestion while ensuring mobility contributes meaningfully to economic opportunity rather than becoming an unaffordable burden.
“Mobility is not just about roads and buses – it is about dignity, access and economic inclusion,” she said.
The N$5 billion price tag is expected to be financed through a mix of municipal allocations, development financing, private partnerships and targeted borrowing.
While significant, Larandja said the cost of doing nothing will be higher in the long run, as the City continues to pay for unmanaged growth, inefficiency and social exclusion. “If we fail to build structured mobility systems now, we will pay for it multiple times over in lost productivity, unemployment and a fractured urban form that becomes impossible to serve,” she warned.
With Windhoek’s population on track to exceed half a million residents in the coming years, Larandja described the next decade as “decisive” in determining the kind of city Windhoek becomes. “This is the moment when we choose whether we continue reacting in crisis mode or whether we build a transport system worthy of a modern African capital. The deadline is approaching fast.”
Speaking during the municipality's launch of the Sustainable Transport Master Plan, Larandja said Windhoek has run out of time for incremental fixes and must “pivot to a modern, equitable and environmentally responsible transport network that keeps pace with rapid urbanisation.”
The master plan outlines a roughly N$5 billion transformation of Windhoek's transport infrastructure over the next decade.
The framework is centred on green mobility corridors, expanded public transport, environmentally sustainable design and integrated planning that avoids the costly retrofitting of services long after settlements have taken shape.
Larandja warned that without a decisive shift in approach, Windhoek risks deepening spatial inequality, trapping thousands of low-income households in long, expensive and unreliable commutes far from schools, jobs and public amenities.
Mushrooming informal settlements
Projections show informal settlements could double in population and footprint by 2031, driven principally by migration from rural regions.
Larandja said that historic patterns of development have repeatedly placed new communities far from the city’s economic centres, forcing many residents to rely on walking long distances, expensive public transport or informal operators.
“A city cannot call itself equitable if mobility remains a privilege of the few,” she said. She added that the cost of low-connectivity urban growth has become evident in congestion, long travel times and persistent difficulty delivering affordable services.
Be proactive to save money
The proposed green mobility corridors would serve as a structural backbone of the new system, linking emerging suburbs with industrial areas, the city centre and transport hubs.
In addition to improving travel speeds and access, they are designed to support compact and efficient development, preventing Windhoek from expanding outward faster than infrastructure can support.
Larandja argued that protecting road reserves and mobility routes early on is far less expensive than attempting to cut road networks through already-established settlements later. “We must stop planning retroactively,” she said. “Once an informal settlement is in place without road reserves, the cost of service installation multiplies.”
Public transport sits at the heart of the reform, including restructured municipal bus operations, more frequent services, improved terminal designs and systems that can compete with private cars on reliability, comfort and travel time.
Ensuring dignity
Larandja said a dependable public transport system is fundamental to reducing congestion while ensuring mobility contributes meaningfully to economic opportunity rather than becoming an unaffordable burden.
“Mobility is not just about roads and buses – it is about dignity, access and economic inclusion,” she said.
The N$5 billion price tag is expected to be financed through a mix of municipal allocations, development financing, private partnerships and targeted borrowing.
While significant, Larandja said the cost of doing nothing will be higher in the long run, as the City continues to pay for unmanaged growth, inefficiency and social exclusion. “If we fail to build structured mobility systems now, we will pay for it multiple times over in lost productivity, unemployment and a fractured urban form that becomes impossible to serve,” she warned.
With Windhoek’s population on track to exceed half a million residents in the coming years, Larandja described the next decade as “decisive” in determining the kind of city Windhoek becomes. “This is the moment when we choose whether we continue reacting in crisis mode or whether we build a transport system worthy of a modern African capital. The deadline is approaching fast.”
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