Chamwe Kaira
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has maintained an active investment portfolio in Namibia valued at about N$16.4 billion as of July 2025.
The portfolio includes 10 operations made up of eight sovereign projects and two non-sovereign operations structured as lines of credit.
It also includes four investment projects and four technical assistance initiatives.
Most of the funding comes from AfDB loans, which account for about 99.2% of the portfolio.
Additional support comes from four middle-income country technical assistance fund grants, one African water facility grant and one rural water and sanitation initiative grant.
The finance sector holds the largest share of the portfolio at 40.9%.
Transport projects account for 38.8%, followed by water and sanitation at 13.5%, agriculture at 6.9% and multisector initiatives at 0.04%.
The bank said several issues have affected project implementation.
These include delays in signing grant agreements because of pending clearance from the attorney general’s office.
Some projects also faced design challenges due to limited feasibility studies.
The bank also reported delays in the submission of audit reports for three projects managed by the office of the auditor general.
Other challenges include limited knowledge of procurement procedures by project implementation units and low compliance with environmental and social safeguards.
Only 36% of periodic environmental and social reports were submitted in 2025.
No independent annual environmental and social performance audit reports were received during the year.
The Ministry of Finance plans to assign staff to work with the attorney general’s office to speed up the clearance of contracts and agreements.
Projects without proper feasibility studies will no longer qualify for funding.
The bank will also continue training officials in procurement and financial management through technical support programmes.
AfDB has also launched its Namibia country strategy paper for the period 2025 to 2030.
The strategy focuses on expanding infrastructure, improving access to energy and water, and supporting job creation.
Electricity access in Namibia stands at about 59.5%.
The bank aims to increase access to about 70% by 2030 through investments in power generation and distribution.
The strategy also focuses on expanding water infrastructure to support households, industry and agricultural production.
Another priority is improving regional transport connections.
The bank plans to support the upgrade of the Walvis Bay–Ndola–Lubumbashi railway corridor to meet Southern African Development Community standards.
The corridor links the Port of Walvis Bay to markets in Southern and Central Africa.
The programme also includes support for human capital development.
The bank aims to help create about 25 000 jobs for young people through investments in skills development and entrepreneurship.
