Stakeholder Management in the Upgrading of the Informal Settlements of Windhoek

The housing crisis in Namibia is spreading across the whole country and the growth of the informal settlements is threatening to overtake the country. The Namibian Government has launched various programmes to address the ever-increasing housing crisis. However, these initiatives have fallen short of their objectives, and as a result, these programmes have done little to prevent or reduce the progression of the informal settlement. Stakeholder management has been acknowledged as a means of increasing the propensity for successful delivery of projects, however the full benefits of stakeholder management cannot be achieved without adequately addressing the factors that contributes in achieving the effective stakeholder management. This research aims to identify the factors hindering the development of a formal stakeholder management strategy for the projects that are included in the City of Windhoek Informal Settlement Upgrading Programmes. In order to achieve this aim, previous work on stakeholder management are reviewed. A qualitative, case study approach was adopted, with semi-structured questions to investigate the current practice of stakeholder management. Thematic analysis was applied as the primary data analysis method, to identify, analyse and detect themes within the data set. The Informal Settlement Upgrading Affordable Housing Pilot Project (ISUAHPP) was selected as a case study. The research identified that there are a number and variety of stakeholders in the upgrading of the informal settlement programmes. The research highlighted there was a main focus on internal stakeholders, which was necessary for collaboration and support required from internal stakeholder for facilitating and coordinating the implementation of different activities. Strategies used to manage the stakeholders needs and expectations were also identified as well as the factors for effective stakeholder management in the upgrading of the informal settlement programmes. The study found that there is no formal stakeholder management in the upgrading of the informal settlement programmes, and in the absence of a stakeholder management engagement plan, the MOU and DUP were the instruments used to regulate the relationship of the identified parties. The approach used to implement the ISUAHPP affected the stakeholder management