Windhoek mayor Queen Kamati at the signing of City of Windhoek and MTC agreement

7 May 2024

It is indeed a great pleasure to address you on this very important occasion, marking the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between the City of Windhoek and MTC.

The world is transforming through the use of technology, and as such the City of Windhoek cannot be left behind. Therefore, the municipal council places high priority on building partnerships with different stakeholders within the city and beyond as a strategic approach for sustainable development and enhancement of the quality of life of all our citizens.

In the same vein, it is important to note that the technological landscape of Namibia has seen a significant shift over the years. The city has therefore been making strides towards being a sustainable and caring city, a goal we set ourselves to achieve by 2027. 

To become a sustainable city, it requires us to be technologically advanced and innovative to improve our operational efficiency, which calls for collaborative efforts with like-minded stakeholders. For this reason, the council has taken a deliberate decision to work with different stakeholders to form strategic partnerships aimed at making our city safe, livable, and sustainable, thus, creating a conducive environment for our residents and businesses to thrive.

In this quest, it is crucial that we embrace smart partnerships with key stakeholders such as MTC, which will set us on a steady course to achieve one of our strategic objectives of being technologically advanced, innovative, and efficient in our operations to enable us to attain our goal of becoming a sustainable city by 2027.

I am therefore pleased that we are here today to witness and strengthen the relationship between the City of Windhoek and MTC, which is the culmination of discussions that led to our two institutions agreeing to enter into a mutually beneficial strategic partnership.

The Sustainable Development Goal no. 11 of the United Nations speaks to sustainable cities and communities. Thus, making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2030. The word ‘safe’ in this goal puts responsibility on cities and their stakeholders to explore and implement safety and security measures that would ensure that the urban environment is free from crime by 2030.

In the same vein, one of the main responsibilities of the council is to attract investors to the city with the aim of creating employment for our residents. However, the question we need to ask ourselves is: Who would want to invest in a city where the safety and security of their investment are not guaranteed? Therefore, this underlines the fact that safety and security is one of the major factors that potential investors look at before deciding whether or not to invest their funds in a particular country or city.

The CCTV cameras which are the basis of this strategic partnership will go a long way in assisting the City of Windhoek through the Windhoek Municipal Police Service.

It would be remiss of me not to recognise and applaud MTC for being at the forefront of Namibia’s digital transformation. I would like to commend them for their innovation and with this partnership we look forward to enhancing our great working relationship.

Let us join hands to make Windhoek the place we want it to be and the place it ought to be.