Nairobi: Namibia has increased access to safe drinking water to 91.4 per cent of the population and expanded sanitation infrastructure during the 2025/26 financial year, but significant gaps remain in rural and peri-urban areas, prompting renewed calls for faster service delivery and stronger community participation.
According to Namibia Press Agency, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAWFLR) Inge Zaamwani at the African Public Service Day commemoration in Swakopmund on Thursday, Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare said the government drilled 102 boreholes nationwide during the reporting period, with 87 proving successful. Another 53 previously drilled boreholes were equipped and commissioned to improve water access in underserved communities.
National sanitation coverage now stands at 60 per cent, with 2,120 sanitation facilities constructed, including 1,579 through regional councils and 541 by the MAFWLR. Ngurare, however, cautioned against equating completed projects with effective service delivery. 'A drilled borehole that remains unequipped does not yet deliver water to the people,' he said, noting that 45 suitable boreholes were still awaiting installation at the end of the first quarter.
He added that some communities continue to rely on weekly water tanker deliveries because of saline groundwater, while procurement delays, contractor non-performance, and aging infrastructure continue to hamper sanitation projects. Zaamwani echoed the need to shift from discussion to implementation, suggesting future African Public Service Day commemorations should include practical community service.
Drawing on a recent visit to South Africa, where she accompanied her counterpart to commission water projects, Zaamwani said Namibia was capable of achieving similar results. 'What if we had devoted all these days to practically providing sanitation and water solutions to the community of Erongo? If half of us were in Daures installing sanitation facilities and the other half in Omaruru and Okombahe, we could probably provide more than 200 sanitation facilities within a week,' she said.
She urged public servants to 'move beyond the papers and the documents' and begin solving challenges with their own hands, saying communities should see tangible improvements rather than only policy discussions.