A country that is building roads, schools, clinics, airports and power lines cannot afford a docile Engineering Council. Namibia’s development agenda depends on quiet, often invisible, disciplines: design standards, competent supervision, rigorous inspections, and professional accountability for the people who sign off on the nation’s concrete, steel, electrical systems and digital infrastructure. When the Engineering Council of Namibia (ECN) is at a standstill months after its appointment, the costs are not abstract; they multiply daily through risks, delays, corner-cutting and declining public confidence.
The ECN is not a ceremonial board. It exists to register engineers and technologists, set and enforce standards, and protect the public by ensuring that only qualified professionals carry titles and take responsibility for work that could harm people if done poorly. This is the bedrock of engineering self-regulation: society grants a profession prestige and responsibility; in return, that profession guarantees competence, ethics and accountability. If this system sits idle, the mechanisms that keep poor workmanship out of our public infrastructure are weakened at precisely the time when the country is investing heavily in construction and industrial growth.
We do not need to imagine the consequences of weak oversight. Across the world, tragedies have unfolded where regulatory bodies were too slow, too quiet, or too compromised. The Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed 72 people, was ultimately traced to a failure of standards and enforcement. In Florida, the collapse of Champlain Towers South in 2021 killed 98 people and forced new safety regulations after years of ignored warnings. The 2018 collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, killed 43 people and paralysed a city—largely due to years of neglect and falsified reports. Each disaster was not only about technical failure but also governance failure.
Closer to our own economic reality, Brazil’s Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019 showed how inadequate oversight can lead to environmental catastrophe and loss of life. These examples underline one truth: the cost of neglecting engineering regulation is always higher than the cost of maintaining it.
Namibia should not comfort itself by thinking that such things can’t happen here. We are entering an era of massive infrastructure investment, from oil and gas to housing and logistics corridors. We are approving projects faster, larger, and more complex than at any time since Independence. The only way to ensure that we do not build tomorrow’s disasters is through vigilant, uncompromising oversight. And that starts with an active, functional Engineering Council.
If we want an example closer to home, look south. The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is an independent authority that registers professionals, enforces ethics, and holds disciplinary hearings. It makes it easy to check whether an engineer is properly accredited. It issues guidance notes, audits training programmes, and maintains close collaboration with local authorities. It is an institution that understands that a nation’s safety, economic stability, and credibility rest on the integrity of its engineers. Namibia needs its own council to operate with the same seriousness.
So, what should a re-energised ECN be doing right now?
First, it must clear the backlog of registrations and publish updated, accessible lists of accredited engineers and technologists. Infrastructure projects cannot afford to be delayed or compromised because qualified professionals are waiting on paperwork or because unqualified individuals are allowed to operate unchecked.
Second, the ECN must issue updated guidelines that reflect modern best practices. Whether it’s climate-resilient road design, safe dam operations, or renewable energy integration, engineers need an authoritative Namibian benchmark. Standards should be practical, progressive, and adapted to local realities.
Third, enforcement must mean something. A council that never inspects, audits, or disciplines might as well not exist. It does not take a large bureaucracy to create accountability, just targeted inspections, collaboration with other regulators, and the courage to act. When practitioners see that misconduct carries consequences, standards improve everywhere.
Fourth, the Council must nurture the next generation. Namibia’s infrastructure dreams will fail if we do not invest in young engineers, technicians and technologists. The Council should drive mentorship programmes, professional development pathways, and fair registration routes for women and youth.
Fifth, communication matters. The ECN should not operate in silence. When something goes wrong, a bridge cracks, a building collapses, or a dam leaks, it should speak. The public deserves to know what went wrong, what will change, and how to prevent recurrence. That transparency builds trust and reinforces a culture of accountability.
Lastly, the Council must guard its independence. Engineers should never feel pressured to approve work they know is unsafe or poorly designed. A council that defends its members’ ethical obligations, even against powerful interests, is a council that protects the nation.
Minister Veikko Nekundi has done his part by appointing the Council. Now it must get to work. If there are administrative hurdles, remove them. If funding is inadequate, say so. If the legal framework is outdated, propose amendments. But silence and inaction are not options.
Namibia is on the verge of transformational projects, new ports, refineries, power plants, highways and housing developments. Every day that our Engineering Council remains inactive raises the risk that we will build the wrong things in the wrong way. The lesson from around the world is painfully clear: standards and oversight may seem costly, but the cost of their absence is measured in lives, money, and national reputation.
Switch on the Council. Set the bar high. Enforce it firmly. The integrity of Namibia’s infrastructure, and the safety of its people, depend on it.
