Progress on Namibia’s broadband infrastructure is not just about technology, but also boosts socio-economic development.
Minister of information and communication technology Emma Theofelus says broadband connectivity opens doors in various areas, such as the education, healthcare, e-commerce and governance sectors.
She said this at a high-level engagement on Namibia’s digital transformation journey in Windhoek on Tuesday.
The aim of the meeting was to coordinate the government’s digital transformation efforts.
“Namibia has set itself the ambitious goal to provide broadband speeds of at least two megabytes per second (2Mbps) to 95% of the population by 2024 to enhance its digital infrastructure and to empower marginalised citizens in a rapidly evolving digital world.
“Therefore it is necessary that we are committed to better coordinate and pool our resources for joint projects, to ensure no community is left behind in the digital era,” Theofelus said.
Namibias’ digital inclusion objective is spearheaded by the national broadband policy and its implementation action plan, which was launched in February 2020 to bridge the digital divide, particularly for marginalised communities.
The national broadband policy is the cornerstone of the government’s strategy.
About 66% of Namibians and about 72% of the African continent do not have access to mobile internet.
Priority projects for the ministry range from connecting schools, rolling out digital and AI literacy programmes and building digital industries.
“Namibia is committed to not only enhancing its digital infrastructure, but also to empowering people in a rapidly evolving digital world.
“We all know this digital gap is more pronounced in remote and rural areas, where access to modern communication technology is limited. These are the areas where we need to work on together to make a difference,” the minister said.
She said the ministry is also hard at work developing a national digital strategy to unlock various opportunities and fast-track Namibia’s digital transformation.
The strategy will guide the nation in leveraging digital technologies for sustainable development, economic growth and social progress, Theofelus said.
The government has been taking steps to establish network towers in less commercially viable areas since 2022.
Progress has also been made on increasing 3G and LTE infrastructure, with 3G covering 89% and LTE 79% of the population.
The expansion showed an 8,5% increase in mobile broadband subscribers.
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