Evelin de Klerk
Isabel Bento
SWAKOPMUND – Namibia has 419 informal settlements accommodating more than 200 000 urban residents, according to findings presented at the launch of the Informal Settlements Baseline Report in Swakopmund recently.
Delivering the statistical overview, Statistician General and CEO of the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) Alex Shimuafeni said 563 settlements across 57 local authorities were assessed as part of the study.
Shimuafeni presented the report to governors, mayors, councillors, traditional leaders, chief regional officers and CEOs who are attending the workshop.
He said the report provides the government with a statistical benchmark to measure progress in addressing urban informality.
“We are talking about 419 informal settlements out of the 563 urban settlements that were assessed,” he said.
He noted that the assessment also found that 98.3% of the land on which informal settlements are situated is owned by local authorities.
According to the report, 53.4% of informal settlements were planned as part of the government’s commitment to formalise 50% of informal settlements by 2029.
As for land surveying, the assessment indicates that only 38.2% of informal settlements have been surveyed.
The report also assessed bulk service provision across four core services: water, sewer, electricity and roads.
It found that 24% of informal settlements have fully implemented water infrastructure, 10% have sewer infrastructure and 22% have electricity infrastructure.
At the same time, 4% of informal settlements have no water at all, 86% have no sewer services, 70% have no electricity and 93% do not have roads.
Shimuafeni stressed that these figures apply specifically to informal settlements and not the general population.
Based on the 2023 Population and Housing Census, an estimated 213 000 people in urban areas reside in informal housing, with the highest concentration recorded in Khomas.
In household terms, about 176 000 urban households are living in informal housing, of which 67 077 are located in Khomas.
“Of the 419 informal settlements identified, 224 have been planned, while 160 have been formalised to some degree. However, only 16 settlements were found to have full basic services such as water, sewer, electricity and roads,” Shimuafeni said.
Service delivery
The report further reveals significant service delivery gaps.
About 7.4% of informal settlements have no access to water, 86% lack sewer infrastructure, 70% do not have electricity and 93% do not have proper road infrastructure.
Shimuafeni added that 98.3% of informal settlements are situated on land owned by local authorities, with a small proportion located on privately owned or partially privately owned land.
He further noted that 61.6% of informal settlements have been profiled, a process regarded as the first step towards planning and upgrading.
In remarks delivered on his behalf, Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa said the baseline report responds to Cabinet’s directive to determine the scale and status of informal settlements in Namibia.
He said the document provides government and stakeholders with a credible empirical foundation to support evidence-based decision-making and targeted interventions under the sixth National Development Plan.
The baseline report will serve as a benchmark against which progress will be measured, as the government aims to reduce informal settlements by 50% by the end of the 2028/29 financial year.
He added that, to measure progress in upgrading, the NSA and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development introduced a five-level upgrading classification system.
“We have classified upgrading into five levels to show how far we are as a country,” Shimuafeni said.
He noted that, under the system, the settlements with none of the four core bulk services – water, sewer, electricity and roads – fall under level one. While settlements that have at least one service are implemented, the settlement moves to level two. Those with two services are classified as level three, while settlements with three services fall under level four.
Level five represents full implementation of all four services.
“The ultimate level we want to reach is full services implemented,” he said.
Also speaking at the opening, the deputy minister of urban and rural development Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele said the Baseline Report is a critical, evidence-based instrument that will guide national policy direction, strategic planning and coordinated interventions aimed at addressing informal settlements across the country.
She added that it also highlights the significant milestones the government achieved and its ongoing commitment to better understand, respond to and ultimately transform the living conditions of those residing in informal settlements across our country.
– edeklerk@nepc.com.na