| Project Detail |
The roads of Namibia are the lifelines of this vast country. In 1999, the Namibian Government transferred certain remits of the Ministry of Works and Transport to newly established paratstatal institutions. Ever since, these organisations have been responsible for planning, constructing and maintaining the nation''s road network as well as for road safety. One legacy of the long years of Apartheid, however, is the nation’s glaring lack of experts in these fields. The many unfilled positions in Namibia’s regulatory authorities and especially the lack of qualified engineers have unavoidably led to deficient steering of these new parastatal sector institutions. Yet, the importance of public transport systems and individual non-motorised modes of mobility is growing as the population of Namibia’s urban centres continues to rise. Despite this need, urban public transport remains inefficient and very expensive. Objective The road transport sector has qualified experts at its disposal. Urban transport systems are being better planned. The economically disadvantaged urban population is benefiting from lower transport costs on the public urban transport system. The costs to the nation’s economy due to road accidents have diminished. Approach GIZ is providing training for the staff of all parastatal institutions involved in the road transport sector. The programme’s methodology focuses on directly advising specialists and managerial staff. The programme reinforces this work by supporting exchange initiatives that bring teaching faculty from German universities and institutions of applied sciences to Namibia. At the forefront of these efforts is a close academic exchange between Namibia’s two universities and German partner universities, including the Aachen University of Applied Sciences, the Technical Universities of Darmstadt and Kaiserslautern, the University of Münster and the University of Siegen, aimed at raising the number of qualified civil engineers. The Namibian universities are utilising German experience as a guide when developing their curricula, syllabi and teaching activities. Student and instructor exchange programmes are also underway. The programme supports efforts by the Ministry of Works and Transport to develop a master plan for sustainable urban transport. Designed to act as a decision-making basis for transport and urban planning, the plan is intended to serve nationwide as a model for affordable and environmentally friendly urban transport. Results achieved so far As part of GIZ’s programme, a comprehensive road safety strategy has been developed that includes a TV advertising campaign, a training programme for police, revised curricula for engineering students, and the establishment of a Road Safety Agency. In 2010, after years of rising accident rates, Windhoek — where 50 percent of all motor vehicles in Namibia are registered — reported a drop in accident figures for the first time ever. The number of traffic accident fatalities also fell by one quarter. Namibia’s Ministry of Works and Transport is the first of its governmental ministries to utilise service level agreements to monitor and steer its affiliated parastatal enterprises. Performance among the companies measurably improved since introducing these contracts. With support from GIZ, the Polytechnic of Namibia and the University of Namibia have established departments of civil engineering. The number of students registered in the promoted degree programmes has risen continuously, from 96 students in 2005 to 224 in 2011. |
