WINDHOEK – The monthly building plans report for March 2014 of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) shows that the Composite Index reached 218, a level only exceeded in January and March 2013.
The total value of building plans approved and completed by January 2014 stood at N$266.6 million, slightly more than double the value of the base month January, 2012, which was N$131.7 million, but below the total value of N$272.3 million in January, 2013. The NSA monitors the value and number of building plans approved and completed for 24 local authorities on a monthly basis. Four of these towns that accounted for 95 percent of the total value of all plans in 2011 have been selected for the Composite index. Owing to the festive season in December and January the total value for these months are usually below the average monthly value for the whole year. The number of approved and completed plans dropped from 503 in January 2013, to 422 a year later.
The index for Windhoek rose to 249, the second highest index recorded for the city over the past thirteen months. The index for Walvis Bay improved slightly from 134 (December 2013) to 144, but remained behind the level seen in January 2013 (363). The value amounted to N$14.9 million, compared to N$37.7 million a year earlier. Swakopmund showed the best performance over the past thirteen months in January 2014 with an index of 127. The value almost tripled to N$20.2 million, compared to the same month last year. After excellent performances in November and December 2013, the building plans index for Ongwediva dived to 48, implying that the value of N$7.5 million amounted to slightly less than half the value of the base month, January, 2012. It accounted for just roughly a quarter of the value in January, 2013, of N$28.7 million.
By Staff Reporter