Germany pulls N$206m Windhoek clean transport grant

Germany has withdrawn an €11 million grant, about N$206 million, that was intended to help the City of Windhoek develop a more environmentally friendly transport system.The decision was made after a feasibility study found that a proposed cycling network would attract too few users to meet the funder’s carbon-emission reduction requirements.Windhoek attempted to retain the funding by proposing an electric bus project, but the German government also declined to finance the alternative, leaving the municipality without funding for either initiative.The grant was allocated during development cooperation negotiations between Namibia and Germany in October 2021 and was to be provided through the German development bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) under the German Climate and Technology Initiative.Windhoek's sustainable urban mobility project was intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public transport efficiency and support the city’s transition towards lower-carbon urban transport.The original proposal involved developing a non-motorised transport network, including bicycle lanes and pedestrian infrastructure, to encourage residents to walk and cycle instead of relying on vehicles.The City conducted a feasibility study between November 2024 and April 2025 to determine whether the proposed network would attract enough users and reduce carbon emissions to the level required under the German climate-financing mechanism.The study found that the anticipated increase in cycling and other forms of non-motorised transport would be significantly lower than initially projected. The expected reduction in carbon dioxide emissions also fell below the funder’s required threshold.The German government subsequently asked the City to propose an alternative project that could meet the climate-impact requirements and be sufficiently developed for appraisal before the grant expired.Windhoek submitted an electric bus proposal at the end of October 2025. KfW reviewed the proposal and held further discussions with the municipality and the Development Bank of Namibia, but the German government eventually withdrew the grant.Council heard that the original infrastructure proposal had been withdrawn on 14 August 2025, after which the municipality was invited to submit an alternative.“They requested us to give them an alternative project that they could look at, which we then submitted. That project is what they now came back and said they can no longer proceed with,” the official said.Constrained optionsDuring a council meeting last week, Windhoek councillor Ignatius Semba criticised the conditions attached to the German grant, arguing that development partners should allow local authorities greater influence over how funding is used.Semba said Windhoek’s road-safety conditions and transport requirements differed from those in European cities, making it difficult to introduce a cycling model without adapting it to local circumstances.He said councillors had raised concerns about the safety and feasibility of the proposed non-motorised transport initiative when it was initially presented, particularly because cyclists and pedestrians would remain exposed to motor vehicles.“We said this thing is not feasible here,” Semba said.He argued that the city had tried to redirect the available funding to a project it considered better suited to local needs, but the grant's conditions limited its ability to do so.“If the Germans really want to assist us as a local authority to implement some of these, they must remove these strings attached,” Semba said.Cycling lanes rejectedAn existing cone-demarcated route, financed through different arrangements, has been rejected by the public, council added last week.Windhoek councillor Kavetu Maitjituavi, speaking at last week’s council meeting, said discussions involving the Development Bank of Namibia, central government and the municipality should continue to determine whether an electric bus service could be financed through another arrangement.The cone-demarcated cycling lanes had not worked, Maitjituavi said.“We have also seen the cones have been rejected by the masses,” he said.The existing corridor was a smaller pilot connecting the University of Namibia’s Khomasdal campus with the Namibia University of Science and Technology’s main campus. The German development agency GIZ financed it, and Ndakalimwe Investments built it for just under N$1.5 million.Construction began in August 2021 during Job Amupanda’s term as mayor and included pavement improvements, road markings and red cones separating cyclists from motor vehicles.The City of Windhoek said in 2024 that German Development Cooperation had fully funded the pilot and that it had not cost the municipality anything.By that stage, 230 damaged cones had been replaced at a stated cost of more than N$78 000.

Germany pulls N$206m Windhoek clean transport grant

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-09-02

Please login to leave a comment

Germany pulls N$206m Windhoek clean transport grant

Comments

Namibian Sun 2026-09-02

Please login to leave a comment

Subscription Required to Access Content ×

Login

Subscription Required to Access Content