Namibia: Second Phase of Airport Road Project

Namibia: Second Phase of Airport Road Project Started in May 2022

WORK on the second phase of a project to upgrade the road between Windhoek and Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA) has started in May.

The second phase of the project is financed through a grant of more than N$1 billion from the Chinese government.

The contractor is Zhong Mei Engineering Group, which is a Namibian-registered Chinese-owned company, and the consultant is VKE Namibia Consulting Engineers under the supervision of the Roads Authority.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new phase of the project on Tuesday, minister of works and transport John Mutorwa said the phase involves the construction of the third and last section of the road as a dual carriageway.

Mutorwa said this phase starts at the Dordabis interchange and continues towards the HKIA, covering a distance of about 22 km.

"I have been informed that the scope of works of this phase includes the construction of 21,3 kilometres of dual carriage freeway, three interchanges two river bridges and drainage structures," the minister said.

He said the project would provide ample opportunity for supplying and subcontracting specialised works to local small and medium enterprises and subcontractors.

Mutorwa said the road was a huge investment which would significantly contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country and would serve many generations to come.

"Furthermore, local subcontractors on the project will be exposed to technological advancements through skills transfer which may result in positive economic growth for the nation as a whole," Mutorwa said.

He said he had been informed of 270 jobs which would be created for Namibians during the construction period of this phase.

Roads Authority chief executive officer Conrad Lutombi this week said the construction is expected to be completed by September 2024.

Namibia: New Airport Road construction progress

Namibia: Airport Road to Be Completed in 2024

The construction of the new freeway between Windhoek and the Hosea Kutako International Airport is expected to be concluded in 2024.

This is according to Roads Authority CEO Conrad Lutombi, who was speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the upgrading to dual carriageway standards of the road on Monday.

This is the third and last phase of the project, which will be financed through a grant from China to the Namibian government at approximately N$1.035 billion.

The phase commences at the Dordabis interchange and continues towards the Hosea Kutako International Airport, covering a distance of around 22 kilometres.

About 270 jobs will be created for Namibians during the construction period of this phase.

Works include the construction of the 21.3 kilometres of the dual-carriage freeway, three interchanges to be located at Dordabis, Sonnleiten and Hosea Kutako International Airport, and two river bridges and drainage structures.

Delivering his address, works minister John Mutorwa said the project is of great importance to the Namibian government, as it advances the objective of the country to become a logistics hub.

"Once complete, this dual carriageway will support the economy by allowing safe movement, and it will improve Namibia's investment environment, promote employment and provide a solid foundation for the socio-economic development of Namibia," said Mutorwa.

He further emphasised all the construction material will be purchased in Namibia for this phase; thus, the money will be left in Namibia.

This project will have ample opportunities for supplying and subcontracting specialised works for local small and medium enterprises as well as subcontractors.

At the same occasion, Yang Jun, Charge d'Affaires at the Chinese Embassy, said the two countries have come closer in political and economic terms: "More and more exchanges are being conducted even in the circumstances of Covid-19. In the past few years, China is the largest source of foreign direct investment in Namibia, and serves as the top market for Namibian exports".

Jun stated, in the past few years, over 20 China-aided projects have been completed or remain ongoing, which widely cover the areas of transport, agriculture, education, ecology, border control, public governance, housing, health care, meteorological surveillance, disaster relief and poverty alleviation.

He further noted China is working with the National Planning Commission to expedite the implementation of other grant projects such as the satellite data receiving ground station project, the upgrading and expansion of four schools in the north as well as the construction of social housing project in Grootfontein and Gobabis.

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Namibia: The best roads in Africa | Намибия - лучшие дороги в Африке

Namibia has been ranked by WEF as a country with best roads in Africa for the past five consecutive years.

If you drive from the southern border between Namibia and South Africa to the panhandle region of  Zambezi in north-east Namibia a distance of 2000 km, you will not encounter a single pothole on the road.

Namibia’s quality roads are attributed to the way they are maintained and rehabilitated, not necessarily the way they are constructed or the amount of money they invest in roads.

To ensure the best quality roads local companies are rarely awarded tenders to construct roads. It’s mostly the Chinese who construct large scale road projects in Namibia.

The Roads Authority is a state owned company that supervises the construction of roads to ensure they are constructed accordingly.

The Roads Authority uses performance management systems called KPI.  They have the power to terminate the contract or impose penalties on companies that fail to deliver.

RCC is a state owned company whose main duty is to maintain and rehabilitate highways by fixing potholes, erecting road signs and painting of road markings.

The state does not fund roads inside towns and cities. It’s the municipal councils who do that as a result some worst-run towns in Namibia have bad roads.

Motorists pay annual fuel levies and other levies to the Roads fund Administration, a state owned company. The money is used for construction and rehabilitation of roads.

Every year the government invests over $ 133 million for construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of roads.

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