Windhoek: Erongo Governor Natalia |Goagoses on Wednesday provided an update on several significant infrastructure and energy projects within the region during her State of the Region Address (SORA). The C35 Swakopmund-Henties Bay-Uis main road, a project valued at N.dollars 1.03 billion, is nearing completion with 86 percent of the work done and only 16 kilometers left to finish.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Governor |Goagoses highlighted the progress on the Swakopmund-Walvis Bay dual carriageway, which has reached 22 percent completion since its start in September 2025. This project is valued at N.dollars 450 million. Additionally, the N.dollars 538 million Karibib-Usakos road rehabilitation project is 84 percent complete, with completion expected by the end of the year.
Governor |Goagoses shared that the Road Contractor Company plans to tar around four kilometers within the town of Uis. On the energy front, the Erongo Regional Electricity Distributor (Erongo RED) has invested nearly N.dollars 800 million in bulk infrastructure over the past decade. For the 2025/26 period, N.dollars 152 million has been allocated to expand the network in Swakopmund, Arandis, Karibib, and Uis.
Projects worth N.dollars 81 million have enhanced electricity access for thousands of households, and the 20-megawatt solar project, valued at approximately N.dollars 470 million, is set to reduce reliance on imported energy. In the mining sector, Namibia's uranium production reached between 8,000 and 9,000 tonnes in 2025, accounting for over 11 percent of global production. The Husab Mine led with a turnover of N.dollars 8.8 billion.
The uranium industry in Erongo employs more than 8,600 people, with local procurement expenditure over N.dollars 14.5 billion and export earnings contributing more than N.dollars 12 billion to the national economy for the 2025/2026 financial year. The sector's royalties and taxes accounted for nearly 12 percent of national revenue.
Governor |Goagoses announced several large-scale projects expected to become fully operational from 2026, including new uranium discoveries and lithium expansion, which are anticipated to create numerous jobs for young people. The Navachab Gold Mine expansion in Karibib, transitioning from open-pit to underground mining, will generate over 150 jobs with a cost of about N.dollars 4 billion. Meanwhile, the Osino Twin Hills Mine has created over 1,600 contractor positions and invested more than N.dollars 1.5 billion in local procurement.
The Etango Uranium Project has identified resources of 207 million pounds of uranium oxide, with more than 560 workers expected on site by March 2026. The Tumas Uranium Project began construction this year, aiming for first production in 2028 with an annual output projected at 3.6 million pounds of uranium oxide over a 30-year span. The Uis Lithium Expansion is progressing towards producing 50,000 tonnes per year of petalite concentrate.
Other developments include the Hope and Gorob Copper-Gold Project's second phase, targeting 25,000 tonnes of copper annually, and the Osino Gold Project, which has been under construction since March, aiming for its first gold pour in 2027 with an annual output projected at 175,000 ounces. Small-scale mining employs an estimated 2,000 individuals across cooperatives in Uis, Okombahe, Omatjete, and Walvis Bay, Governor |Goagoses concluded.