Electricity tariffs are increasing at a rate higher than inflation, which worsens the economic situation for Namibians.

The Electricity Control Board (ECB) has approved tariff increments for about five licensees that exceed the inflation rate, while some other licensees are still waiting for approval for the 2023–2024 financial period.

This situation is likely to put additional financial strain on the citizens and businesses in the country.

Namibians will once again have to dig deeper into their pockets to keep the lights on.

The Zambezi vocational training centre and the Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (NORED) have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in technical and vocational training.

The two institutions will collaborate in trainee industrial attachment, internship, apprenticeship, and staff exchange programmes for capacity building, as well as staff exposure, renovations, repair works for building structures and conducting research.

NamPower has announced a country-wide electricity disconnection of power in stages for all its defaulting clients.

Clients affected are those receiving electricity through the central and northern electricity distributors, Cenored and Nored.

In the ||Kharas and Hardap regions, all defaulting villages and town councils except Keetmanshoop will be without electricity from June 5 if they don’t settle their overdue accounts by May 31.

In the |Khomas Region, Windhoek will be spared the shutdown, while Brakwater and Groot |Aub are affected.

Residents of the Kavango West Region are now satisfied with NORED's response in addressing the constant power outages in the region.

The town's residents raised concerns about continuous power cuts at a stakeholders' meeting at Nkurenkuru last week.

They said the frequent power outages are affecting their daily activities at businesses, schools and hospitals.

At the previous meeting, the residents called on NamPower to introduce a second supply line to the Kavango West and a dedicated kilovolt line for Nkurenkuru.

Rundu Mayor Gabriel Kanyanga has reiterated his council's desire to exit from its shareholding in the Northern Electricity Distributor company - NORED. 

Kanyanga sighted poor service delivery to the town, among other reasons. 

The Rundu Town Council, Kanyanga says, has already looked at the Oshakati Premier Electric company model and means to replicate that.

At least eight regional councils from Kunene to Zambezi and towns and village councils in these regions make up the shareholding in NORED. 

The regional leadership and residents of Kavango West Region are disappointed at the poor service delivery by NamPower and Northern Electricity Distributor company.

The power utilities held a regional stakeholder engagement at Nkurenkuru on the frequent power outages in the region.

Participants at the engagement including Governor Sirkka Ausiku did not mince their words in calling on the companies to improve their services with immediate effect.

Residents of Rundu are still not happy with the services offered by NORED.

They expressed themselves at a consultation meeting, organized by the Rundu Town Council.

The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development and the Ministry of Mines and Energy are consulting and soliciting inputs from key stakeholders on the establishment of Regional Electricity Distributors and their impact on local authorities.

The Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (Nored) has announced that it has started to implement a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system in the Kavango East Region in order to minimize power disruptions.

This announcement was made by Nored’s Executive of Technical Services, Petnen Frans, during a recent community meeting held in the Nidiyona Constituency.

The Rundu Town Council has expressed its desire to exit its partnership with the Northern Regional Electricity Distributor.

At a stakeholders' consultation meeting with the Electricity Control Board, Mayor Gabriel Kanyanga said NORED's services to the town were poor.

The Rundu Mayor said the council might not renew its agreement with the electricity distributor when the current one expires in three years' time.

Rundu, he says, has, among other signs of decline, become a dark town, despite NORED's mandate as responsible for the maintenance of street lights.