Staff Reporter
THE City of Windhoek’s municipal council has launched its People-Centred Smart City Strategy 2026–2036, which will guide the city’s transformation over the next decade.
During the launch of the strategy, the Mayor of the City of Windhoek, Sakarias Uunona, said that Windhoek, like many cities across Africa, faces unique challenges and opportunities.
“We face rapid urbanisation, rising demand for housing and services, mobility challenges, climate pressures, and the need to create jobs and economic opportunities for our growing population. At the same time, unprecedented technological advancements are reshaping how cities are planned, governed, and managed. The question has never been whether Windhoek should embrace technology. The real question is how we can harness technology responsibly, inclusively, and strategically to improve quality of life for our people. This People-Centred Smart City Strategy answers that question,” Uunona said.
He added that the Smart City Strategy comes at an important time for Windhoek, adding that the city is pursuing several transformative initiatives that will serve as key pillars of its smart city journey.
Uunona said these include commercialising the city’s fibre-optic network to provide the digital backbone for smart city applications, digital governance, connectivity, and innovation.
“We are also collaborating with the national government and development partners to modernise public transport and improve urban mobility. This includes proposed commuter rail services between Windhoek, Katutura, and Rehoboth, integrated with bus services, non-motorised transport infrastructure, and transit-oriented development principles,” Uunona said.
He further stressed that these initiatives are not isolated projects but are part of a broader vision to create a city connected physically, digitally, socially, and economically.
“It is for this reason that we look forward to continuing and strengthening our collaboration with UN-Habitat and the UNITAC Project as we begin the next phase, including steps to support implementation. We will work together on smart city implementation support, urban innovation, climate resilience, affordable housing, digital transformation, sustainable mobility, and resource mobilisation, and we will identify the priorities for the next phase of this work. We believe Windhoek can become a leading smart city in Namibia and a model for People-Centred smart city development across Africa,” Uunona said.
Photos: City of Windhoek
