By: Nghiinomenwa-vali Hangala
For the current financial year, cities, towns, and settlements (local authorities) have requested N$8.4 billion from the Road Fund Administration (RFA) for road maintenance and rehabilitation.
However, according to the RFA, due to revenue constraints, it only allocated N$3.7 billion, leaving a funding deficit of N$4.7 billion.
This is according to the Roads Authority (RA) and RFA’s joint update last week. The update came as urban road infrastructure demand increased within various local authorities, as the urban population increases and vehicle ownership expands
Local authorities submit annual maintenance requests, which are reviewed by the RA and RFA to gauge economic efficiency and availability of funds.
Last year, the RFA indicated that it had channelled N$3.3 billion to 57 approved local authorities and 13 settlements, together with the RA. This included N$229.2 million meant for urban road maintenance and rehabilitation.
With the effects of the various rainy seasons and the backlog in road construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation, the funding needs have widened, and the local authorities are knocking on the RFA’s doors for more funding.
Reports from the two roads bodies have shown that Windhoek has a road maintenance backlog worth N$2.7 billion.
According to the RFA, local authorities remain solely responsible for the maintenance of urban roads, adding that the Fund only contributes to the priority road projects as identified by the local authorities, without dictating.
Moreover, they clarified that “calls for increased funding reflect the ongoing challenges posed by increased rainfall and rising traffic volume, not misappropriation, and highlight requests for more allocation in line with actual needs.”
Flood-related road infrastructure damage in 2025 is estimated at N$1.3 billion, according to the RA and the assessment of local authorities in Namibia.
The Fund has also noted that it has increased its allocation to local authorities for urban road maintenance and rehabilitation with N$160 million for the current financial year, amounting to a total of N$604 million.
As for the national road network, RFA indicated that it has committed N$2.4 billion for the current financial year for regional connectivity and long-term sustainability.
Of this, N$1.6 billion is for maintenance and rehabilitation of national priority corridors, and the expansion of the Low-Volume Sealed Roads Programme.
erastus@thevillager.com.na
