Rehabilitation of 17 Walvis Bay roads kicks off
Project to strengthen national road infrastructure
Approximately 120 temporary jobs will be created during the construction phase.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of Walvis Bay municipal roads leading to the Port of Walvis Bay took place on Thursday.
The Road Fund Administration (RFA), Walvis Bay municipality and the Roads Authority (RA) had signed a memorandum of agreement, in which the RFA committed N$248 million over five years to rehabilitate and widen specific municipal roads leading to the port.
Deputy works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi said the deteriorated condition of the road infrastructure in Walvis Bay has the potential to divert regional commercial traffic to competing ports in Angola, South Africa or Mozambique.
“This would undermine the national goal of promoting the national road corridors and logistical hub ideals as enshrined in Namibia’s Vision 2030, which aims to strengthen Namibia's trading position regionally and globally. This diverted trade, caused by deteriorated roads, could further hurt the fragile economy and the livelihoods of Namibians, and we cannot let this happen.”
The RA will be responsible for the overall project management.
The contractor for the project is Otesa Civil Engineering, a Namibian-owned company, while Tulipamwe Consulting Engineers will be responsible for supervision.
Additionally, approximately 120 temporary jobs will be created during the construction phase, covering all three phases.
Crucial work
RA CEO Dr Conrad Lutombi, said: “As accounting officers, we cannot fail to deliver services and local authorities play a crucial role in this process. They are the ones providing services directly to the people. If we fail the local authorities, we fail the communities.”
RFA CEO Ali Ipinge added they are committed to ensuring an effective maintenance strategy for urban roads across the country.
He noted that the N$248 million allocated is not sufficient to address all the road issues in Walvis Bay.
“The question we need to ask ourselves as citizens and road users is how we are going to maintain our roads if we don’t contribute our fair share to the road user charges. Earlier this year, we requested a N$1 increase on our fuel levies to support the effective maintenance of our roads, which would generate roughly N$1 billion. People say it’s a lot of money – and it is – but to maintain our national and urban roads properly, we need about N$5 billion per year. Currently, we are generating around N$3.5 billion, so there’s a massive shortfall in meeting our needs. Two weeks ago, a 25-cent adjustment was made to the fuel levy.”
The Road Fund Administration (RFA), Walvis Bay municipality and the Roads Authority (RA) had signed a memorandum of agreement, in which the RFA committed N$248 million over five years to rehabilitate and widen specific municipal roads leading to the port.
Deputy works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi said the deteriorated condition of the road infrastructure in Walvis Bay has the potential to divert regional commercial traffic to competing ports in Angola, South Africa or Mozambique.
“This would undermine the national goal of promoting the national road corridors and logistical hub ideals as enshrined in Namibia’s Vision 2030, which aims to strengthen Namibia's trading position regionally and globally. This diverted trade, caused by deteriorated roads, could further hurt the fragile economy and the livelihoods of Namibians, and we cannot let this happen.”
The RA will be responsible for the overall project management.
The contractor for the project is Otesa Civil Engineering, a Namibian-owned company, while Tulipamwe Consulting Engineers will be responsible for supervision.
Additionally, approximately 120 temporary jobs will be created during the construction phase, covering all three phases.
Crucial work
RA CEO Dr Conrad Lutombi, said: “As accounting officers, we cannot fail to deliver services and local authorities play a crucial role in this process. They are the ones providing services directly to the people. If we fail the local authorities, we fail the communities.”
RFA CEO Ali Ipinge added they are committed to ensuring an effective maintenance strategy for urban roads across the country.
He noted that the N$248 million allocated is not sufficient to address all the road issues in Walvis Bay.
“The question we need to ask ourselves as citizens and road users is how we are going to maintain our roads if we don’t contribute our fair share to the road user charges. Earlier this year, we requested a N$1 increase on our fuel levies to support the effective maintenance of our roads, which would generate roughly N$1 billion. People say it’s a lot of money – and it is – but to maintain our national and urban roads properly, we need about N$5 billion per year. Currently, we are generating around N$3.5 billion, so there’s a massive shortfall in meeting our needs. Two weeks ago, a 25-cent adjustment was made to the fuel levy.”
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