Innovating Under Scarcity: Windhoek’s Benchmarking Framework for Resilient Water Services
The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), as lead of the Innovate4Water project, together with the City of Windhoek and the Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater), recently convened a co-creation workshop to chart new pathways for resilient water services in one of the driest capitals in the world. The workshop, guided by the Three Horizons methodology, brought together stakeholders to reflect on current challenges, explore transitional strategies, and envision a shared future of affordable, reliable, and secure water for all residents.
A key outcome was the development of a draft Water Service Delivery Indicator Framework, a context-adapted benchmarking tool designed specifically for arid environments. This milestone represents a significant step forward in tracking performance, strengthening accountability, and informing investment in water security.
The framework translates Windhoek’s long-term vision into measurable actions. These include diversifying water sources such as reuse, stormwater harvesting, and desalination, measured through continuity of supply and a source diversification index. It also prioritises climate-resilient infrastructure, with indicators such as pipe burst frequency, asset renewal rates, and drought planning. Other benchmarks focus on expanding prepaid smart metering, affordability, and customer satisfaction, alongside embedding governance and financing reforms that ensure transparency and efficiency.
One participant reflected that the framework provides a practical tool to monitor progress and hold institutions accountable.
This milestone demonstrates NUST’s leadership in co-creating solutions that transform scarcity into resilience. Moving forward, the framework will position Namibia as a regional reference point for arid-city water security.
This initiative was implemented by NUST and NamWater, funded by the African Centre for Technology Studies, facilitated by the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology, and supported through the Science Granting Councils Initiative.