Digital tools and data for strengthening climate resilience and upgrading informal settlements in Namibia
Adapting to a changing climate, protecting the most vulnerable
Namibia is facing a changing climate that is testing the resilience of its people and towns. Over recent decades, droughts have become longer, hotter, and more frequent. Days with temperatures above 35°C are increasing, and in 2024, the country endured its worst drought in a century. All 14 regions were affected for the first time, leaving 1.2 million people – 40% of the population – facing acute shortages of food and water. Families are increasingly forced to migrate in search of pasture and safe water. Between 2016 and 2024, this was the third time that the government declared a State of Emergency.
But drought is not the only challenge. Namibia’s rainfall patterns have become unpredictable, with intense downpours now triggering floods that affect around 70,000 people every year. Sandy soils, especially in informal settlements, make flooding more destructive, washing away homes and livelihoods. In Opuwo, a northwestern town of 12,300 residents, Parceval Liyali, Environmental Health Practitioner at Opuwo Town Council, reports that recent floods affected more than 400 people in the community.
Photo: Swakopmund, Namibia. Credit: Grant Durr, Unsplash
Putting “preparedness” at the heart of climate resilience in Namibia’s informal settlements
The complex impact of converging crises demands urgent adaptation, particularly for vulnerable communities living in informal settlements. Today, more than 40% of Namibia’s overall population – and around 80% of its urban population – live in informal dwellings. In response, the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development has made upgrading these neighbourhoods a priority, recognising that climate resilience in cities is about more than emergency response: it requires securing continued access to basic urban services such as water, sanitation, and electricity, maintaining infrastructure, and planning for emergencies before they happen.
Strategic planning, foresight analysis and effective emergency response put “preparedness” at the centre of sustainable urban development. This strengthens the resilience of cities and helps mitigate the impact of natural and human-made disasters. In this context, accurate, up-to date data on infrastructure conditions and access to basic services helps communities understand their situation and take informed action.
A digital solution for local governments
As part of the Just Transitions in Vulnerable Places – Digital Solutions for More Climate Resilient Informal Areas in Namibia project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC) has been working with local governments to strengthen evidence-based decision making for upgrading informal settlements.
Through collaborative workshops with Namibian towns such as Rehoboth, Helao Nafidi, Opuwo, and Rundu, UNITAC identified the need for a digital, data-driven solution to streamline essential service delivery and improve communication workflows. Until recently, processes such as repairing leaking water pipes were managed entirely on paper. Field staff submitted written damage assessments, which supervisors approved and filed in folders.
To address this, UNITAC and its municipal partners co-developed the Digital Job Card tool — a web and mobile application that transforms the process of creating, assigning, and tracking job cards for urban services into a streamlined digital workflow. With the tool, field workers can collect and upload both written and visual information, giving supervisors a real-time view of infrastructure that requires repair. The application documents the damage before and after repair work, improving accountability. Because internet connectivity is limited in many areas, the Digital Job Card works both online and offline, syncing data automatically when a connection becomes available. Once received, administrators can view the information in visual dashboards and send instant notifications to the relevant teams. Digitalising these workflows helps towns work more efficiently, generate live data, and strengthen their preparedness and resilience in the face of emergencies.
The introduction of the Digital Job Card tool is more than a technological upgrade — it is a step towards preparedness, ensuring that Namibia’s towns can act quickly, plan strategically, and protect their most vulnerable residents. By replacing paper-based systems with a reliable digital process, local governments can reduce delays, improve accuracy, and make better use of limited resources. The tool helps to monitor the maintenance of infrastructure, identify where replacements are needed, and ensure a more cost-effective use of public resources.
For the approximately 190,000 people living in Rundu, Opuwo, Helao Nafidi, and Rehoboth, as recorded in the 2023 Census, this means improved infrastructure and more reliable access to basic urban services. The tool can also be scaled to other towns worldwide and easily adapted to local needs.
By strengthening preparedness at the local level, the Digital Job Card tool supports Namibia’s pathway towards more climate-resilient cities. In informal settlements, it enables local governments to better understand where infrastructure and services are insufficient, strengthening inclusive decision-making and advancing the global commitment to leave no one behind.
Photo: Digital Job Card user testing in Opuwo