• Government to create a national data center as part of its digital strategy
• Project details still under study, but facility expected to meet global standards
• Move follows Namibia’s 2025-2029 digital plan to boost growth and inclusion

The Namibian government plans to set up a national data center as part of its digital transformation drive. The announcement was made last week by Emma Theofelus (pictured), Minister of Information and Communication Technology, during the presentation of new government decisions to speed up digitalization.

The ministry, working with the Office of the Prime Minister, has been tasked with finalizing the concept note and project proposal for the facility. Specific technical features and capacity have not yet been disclosed.

In Africa, similar facilities launched recently in countries such as Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire have been built to at least Tier 3 standard, according to the Uptime Institute. Tier 3 certification ensures redundancy in power and cooling systems, with a maximum annual downtime of about 1.6 hours. Higher Tier 4 and Tier 5 levels provide even greater redundancy and reliability.

The announcement comes as Namibia seeks to replace outdated and insufficient digital infrastructure. The country’s “National Digital Strategy 2025-2029,” unveiled in August, aims to leverage technology for economic growth, social inclusion, and overall progress. The plan calls for rapid expansion of digital infrastructure, with high-quality, reliable facilities to support both essential services and advanced applications.

Namibia ranks 114th out of 193 countries in the United Nations 2024 E-Government Development Index (EGDI). It scored 0.6007 out of 1, above the African average of 0.4247 but slightly below the global average of 0.6189.