Teaser
The programme advises the Namibian Ministry of Works and Transport and transport sector institutions. Planning and organisation of the road transport network should be economically sustainable and socially equitable; HR resources should be improved.
Context
The roads of Namibia are the lifelines of this vast country. Since the sector reform of the Ministry of Works and Transport (MWT) in 1999, newly established parastatal institutions have been responsible for planning, constructing and maintaining the nation's road network, and for ensuring road safety.
Namibia is pursuing ambitious goals of economic growth and industrialisation. However, it is hindered in these ambitions by constant challenges in the transport sector. These include inefficiencies resulting from high transport costs, a large number of accidents and fatalities, unfulfilled transport needs due to inadequate road infrastructure in rural areas and a lack of services in urban areas, and inequalities based on gender, health and poverty. To overcome these challenges there is a need to improve, develop and expand the institutional and management capacities.
Objectives
Planning and organisation in Namibia’s road transport sector are conducted in a more economically sustainable and socially balanced manner. Human resources and competences have improved.
Approach
The objectives are to be achieved by increasing the number of qualified experts in the sector and developing urban and rural transport systems. At the same time, the programme provides relevant technical support to stakeholders in the transport sector.
The programme mainly assists the Ministry of Works and Transport and other transport institutions in their efforts to manage and regulate the transport sector efficiently. It advises the Ministry on developing guidelines and on the management of the state-owned enterprises. It organises training courses and international consultancies to promote HR and organisational development.
GIZ is supporting the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), the police and other stakeholders in the development of a legal framework for road safety, and is running road safety campaigns and further training.
In a joint project, the City of Windhoek, MWT and GIZ developed a Sustainable Urban Transport Master Plan for the city in 2013. This enables decision makers in the transport sector to develop an affordable, accessible, attractive and efficient public and non-motorised transport system for the next 20 years. The programme assists with the implementation of this plan and is contributing to the development of sustainable urban and regional transport in the northern regions of Namibia.
The programme supports the civil engineering departments of the University of Namibia and the Polytechnic of Namibia. It provides advice on the development of the bachelor and master degrees, while helping to ensure the universities are adequately equipped with study and research materials, and promoting study exchanges that bring academics from German universities to Namibia.
Besides increasing the capacity of the universities, the programme also wants to achieve another two objectives: firstly that well-trained university students can find employment in the road transport sector, and secondly that more school-leavers choose to enrol for civil engineering at Namibia’s universities.
Results achieved so far
The development of the new White Paper on Transport Policy and of the Namibian Planning and Construction Council Bill have begun, which will be important milestones in the sustainable development of the road transport sector.
With significant support from the programme, the National Road Safety Council has developed a database for accidents, which is currently in a pilot phase and will become an integral instrument for road safety in Namibia in the future. Police officers have received training in dealing with accidents, securing evidence and controlling the traffic.
The City of Windhoek has decided to expand its local public transport system and has made funds available for the procurement of additional busses. The programme has promoted the use of non-motorised transport with success, for instance by supporting non-governmental organisations in holding events like the annual ‘Cycle to Work Day’. In 2014, the event ‘Windhoek on Bike’ was held for the first time, attracting about 200 participants.
The GIZ-supported Construction Industry Federation has doubled its service provision to members, while raising its membership from 80 in 2007, to approximately 400 in 2014.
MWT has become the first Namibian ministry to sign service level agreements for the monitoring and management of its affiliated parastatal enterprises. The companies’ performance has improved measurably since the introduction of these contracts. Performance monitoring has now become an integral part of the management processes in the ministry.
Bachelor and master degrees in civil engineering have been developed and accredited at the University of Namibia and the Namibian University of Science and Technology. The number of bachelor students enrolled in civil engineering courses increased from 128 in 2011 to 174 in 2013. A quarter of those students are women.
The recently developed and still unique module ‘The engineer and society’ is an integral part of the bachelor courses of both universities. This addresses topics such as HIV/AIDS and gender. So far, all of the participating students have passed the module.
The first 18 students at the University of Namibia’s Engineering Faculty in Ongwediva have completed bachelor degrees in civil engineering. In 2014 a MSc. course focusing on transport systems was launched, with five part-time students.
The laboratories at the faculties of engineering are able to conduct numerous technical assessments and tests. They are to be further developed into accredited testing facilities for the country.