By: Hee-Dee Walenga
Speaking on Eagle FM’s land and property development programme, Ulwazi, former President of the Namibia Institute of Town & Regional Planning, Fransisco Neshila, provided some insight into the land and property development environment of Ondangwa.
Ondangwa has totalled 1,993 land & property transactions since 2016 worth a total market value of N$1.1 billion.
The average price of transactions stands at N$571,970, with a 14.9% subsidy share and a 446 m² median erf size.
The suburb/extension leading transactions in the town recorded 1,460 open market sales in a 10-year span at a median price of N$470,000.
Ondangwa’s most active year was 2021, where the town recorded 274 transactions.
45 transactions have been recorded in 2026 thus far.
Neshila outlined that historically, Ondangwa was an employment hub pre-independence, with Namdeb being one of the biggest employers, an environment Neshila urged the town to re-create.
“Ondangwa needs to take back their historical presence of being an employment hub,” stated Nehsila.
He characterised land delivery as Ondangwa’s “golden goose.” Between 1999 and 2023, Ondangwa led the nation with 16 proclaimed townships, ranking number one among the most-active localities nationally.
In the last 24 months, according to the Namibian Government Gazette for Ondangwa, the town has planned for the following events: 8 rezonings, 5 zoning schemes, 4 subdivisions, and 2 township establishments.
Growing Ondangwa
Ondangwa is attractive to informal traders, particularly from vendors selling food. Neshila urged Ondangwa to “integrate informal trading within the urban set up.”
“Informal traders occupy the heartbeat of Oshakati,” Neshila referenced.
Neshila also urged Ondangwa to build on its tourism structure. When it comes to hosting conferences and the fine dining experience in central northern Namibia, Oshakati and Ongwediva are usually the go-to destinations.
“Ondangwa is getting a private hospital through IUM. You don’t want your professionals and students living in Ongwediva and Oshakati and working in Ondangwa,” Neshila warned.
Moreover, Neshila identified that the intersection between the food and transport industry could prove lucrative for Ondangwa.
The town notably has a strong market for small/mini buses. “Your informal trading sector needs to talk to the transportation sector. They need to integrate so that we can create more jobs in that space,” he explained.
