The City of Windhoek and the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday to establish a strategic partnership to deploy cutting-edge technology to combat crime.
The aim is to enhance affordable and universal access to connectivity within the City, promote the adoption of digital platforms to enhance security in the capital and advance the realisation of the smart city concept to improve the city’s operations and services.
The agreement was signed by City of Windhoek CEO Moses Matyayi and MTC’s Managing Director Licky Erastus.
As part of the signed consensus, MTC will be pledging support towards the City of Windhoek safe city concept in partnership with the City Police towards the procurement of CCTV equipment and installations thereof.
Additionally, the agreement also commits to explore Future Safer City initiatives. This comes as the City has over 200 CCTV equipment stationed across the city to boost safety and security.
At the signing ceremony, Erastus emphasised the significance of employing technology in solving societal challenges, and driving the national development agenda, highlighting that MTC as a digital driver is invariably ready for smart partnerships that embrace digital smart solutions.
“The challenges that face society today require smart partnerships, the embrace of relevant technologies, and innovative approaches to solve. Crime affects all of us and it requires a joint approach to meaningfully curb it. We need to tackle it from all fronts with collective combat. It is therefore a pleasure making top-of-the-range technologies available to the Municipality’s safety and security cluster as part of the MoU,” he added.
The MD noted that in addition to aiding the safe city concept, this cooperation will observe and advance the provision of affordable and universal access to connectivity for residents through the streamlined approval for new connectivity site acquisition to expand network coverage in the boundaries of the capital city.
“It will also serve as a framework to support the smart city concepts where enhanced service delivery, processes and systems efficiency, and better access to and management of information are central,” said Erastus.
Meanwhile, Matyayi highlighted the significance of the strategic partnership in the City’s ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of life for residents by advancing safety and security measures through technological advancements.
“These CCTV cameras will be strategically positioned across key areas of Windhoek, and they will play a pivotal role in deterring criminal activities and fostering a safer environment for all residents.”
At the event, Windhoek Mayor Queen Kamati said the global landscape is rapidly evolving through technological advancements, and the City of Windhoek must remain at the forefront of this transformation.
“One of the main responsibilities of the City Council is to attract investors to the city to create jobs for the residents. However, the question we need to ask ourselves is; who would want to invest their money in a city where the safety and security of their investment is not guaranteed? Therefore, this underlines the fact that safety and security is one of the major factors that potential investors look at before deciding whether or not to invest their funds in a particular country or city,” she said.
Kamati further applauded MTC for being at the forefront of Namibia’s digital transformation, and commended them for their innovation with the partnership, while looking forward to enhancing the great working relationship.
Head of City Police, Chief Leevi Ileka, said the implementation of the partnership will have a profound impact on modern-day policing, as it will assist the police to patrol many places simultaneously without deploying members on the ground.
He said strategically placing the cameras in key locations throughout the city will enhance its ability to prevent and investigate crimes effectively.
