Building approvals take 63 days

More than three-quarters of building plans submitted to the City of Windhoek take longer than a month to be approved, raising concerns about delays in the construction pipeline.

A report by Simonis Storm Securities puts the median approval time at 63 days, with about one-third of plans taking more than three months to clear the process.

The figures point to an administrative bottleneck at a time when construction activity is already under pressure from rising costs and subdued building completions.

The report, Namibia Building Statistics – September 2026, says the City received 237 building plans in September, up from 221 in August. However, the median approval time remained elevated, ranging between 56 and 63 days from May to September.

The delays matter because approval is a necessary step before developers can proceed with construction. Prolonged processing can hold up investment decisions, increase uncertainty and complicate project financing, although the report does not quantify the financial cost of the delays.

Windhoek recorded 186 completed projects between January and September, 41% fewer than in the same period last year, according to Simonis Storm. The report identifies the approval backlog as a constraint on construction activity, alongside weak mortgage-credit growth and higher building costs.

Construction companies are also facing a 5% industry wage increase introduced in September and higher fuel costs. Simonis Storm reported that fuel prices were 30.4% higher year on year, adding pressure to contractors operating under fixed-price agreements.

The research house argues that faster approvals could provide a relatively low-cost way to support construction activity, without requiring a surge in new demand.

Its report suggests that reducing Windhoek’s median approval time to below 30 days would help release the existing pipeline of projects.