During the past twenty years I have never worked for the Government of Namibia. Yet, I often found myself working with a Government Ministry or Department to achieve national objectives.
In 1996, the Minister of Trade and Industry offered me the job of “Understudy to the CEO” at the Offshore Development Company. The ODC was a 75% private owned company with the government owning the rest of the shares. The aim of the company is to monitor, regulate and promote the Namibia Export Processing Zones (EPZ). (The EPZ’s are industrial parks for companies that manufacture and export their products outside Namibia and the Southern Africa Customs Union.) The primary incentive for companies to invest in these zones is the zero tax rates that are applied.
One of my primary tasks was being the Secretary to the EPZ Committee. The committee consisted of the Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Namibia. Various other government departments and state-owned enterprises were represented on the committee, for example Home Affairs, Finance, Customs, Local Government, Namport, Nampower, etc.
This was the first time that I was involved in working with various different institutions and I struggled in the beginning as there was a deadline. The EPZ Committee promised an answer on all applications within one month!
It was sometimes extremely frustrating to work with the various people. Not because of the individuals involved or even the bureaucratic rules, but rather the lack of information on a specific issue would have me running back and forth.
At this time, the Internet was starting to take off – also in Namibia – and I developed a website for the ODC and investment in Namibia in general. I loaded all information received from the various departments and institutions, including application forms, etc., on to the website and had them readily available the next time they were requested.
This not only made my life much easier, it also allowed anyone from anywhere in the world to access the information they needed for their application. (There was also a secure section for confidential information used by the Secretariat.)
It has been a very saddening experience lately to see the state of website of the various Ministries and government organisations. It seems that a website is developed by external service providers, and then deteriorates until the next time a tender is given out for the job.
The Government must have a policy on creating an Internet presence, and ensuring the appropriate skills are available within the government structures to update and maintain these repositories of information.
Planning a Government
This was one of the hardest sections in the book to write. My first consideration is that only the President of Namibia has the right to decide on how the executive branch of Namibia shall operate. Is it therefore not disrespectful of me to suppose that I can suggest a plan of action to our Head of State?
After all:
According to Article 32(3) of the Constitution “.. the President shall preside over meetings of the Cabinet and shall have the power, subject to this Constitution to:
(g) establish and dissolve such Government departments and ministries as the President may at any time consider to be necessary or expedient for the good government of Namibia;
(i) appoint the following persons:
(aa) the Prime Minister;
(bb) Ministers and Deputy-Ministers;
(cc) the Attorney-General;
(dd) the Director-General of Planning;
(ee) any other person or persons who are required by any other provision of this Constitution or any other law to be appointed by the President.
Thus, I do not present a case for how the Cabinet should be structured, but rather concentrate on the individual tasks of Departments. In other words, the discretion of which Ministers should be appointed is not for my efforts, but rather only the make-up of the individual Departments into Ministries that could combine certain tasks.
Re-engineering the Public Service
It is easy to be critical of the government and the “bureaucracy of the state”. However, it is not always easy to provide an alternative plan or structure. In the following section, I suggest not only how government ministries and departments can be restructured based on my perception of economic and political changes, but also changing social needs, and new technologies available.
1) Office of the President
- The Office of the President shall include a Minister of Presidential Affairs.
- The following shall resort under the Office of the Minister of Presidential Affairs:
i. Auditor-General
ii.Director-General of the Central Intelligence Service
- Director-General of Planning
(Each of the above-mentioned shall have its own administration with its own Permanent Secretary)
The Presidential Economic Advisory Council will also be housed in the Office of the President. It shall consist of 5 individuals recognised for their knowledge and experience in business. The Chairperson of the PEAC shall also be one of the Presidential appointments to the National Assembly.
2) Office of the Prime Minister
- Shall be the leader of Government business in Parliament;
- Shall co-ordinate the work of the Cabinet and shall advise and assist the President in the execution of the functions of Government;
- Shall be responsible for the Public Service (government employees);
- Shall represent the Government as employer in labour relations;
- Shall be responsible for the Public Service Information Technology Management;
3) Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Shall be responsible for interaction with other nations, regional and international organisations;
- Shall be responsible for trade policy and external trade relations;
- Shall be responsible for the promotion of investment opportunities in Namibia (foreign direct investment);
- Shall be responsible for the promotion of Namibia as a tourist destination
4) Ministry of Home Affairs
- Shall be responsible for the establishment and maintenance of a central register. This shall include:
i. Register of Residents;
ii.Register of Marriage Contracts;
- Register of Business;
- Register of Professions;
v.Register of Property Ownership (land & vehicles);
- Register of Licences for Natural Resources and Utilisation;
- Register of Trademarks, Patents and Copyright
- Register of External Trade;
- Register of Court Sentences, Proceedings, Declarations
x.Register of Bankruptcies and Insolvencies
- Register of other legal entities:
- Non-Government Organisations
- Religious Organisations
- Welfare Organisations
- Shall make available to every resident any, and all, information recorded and stored concerning that resident.
- Shall be responsible for the control of immigration points and border posts
- Shall be responsible to maintain law and order in the country (Police)
5) Ministry of Environment and Resources
- The Ministry shall be responsible for the following economic activities with the objective of securing economic growth, prosperity and a life of human dignity for all Namibians:
- i. Agriculture
- ii. Energy
- iii. Fisheries and Marine Resources
- iv. Forestry
- v. Mining
- vi. Tourism
- vii. Water
- Shall co-ordinate the sustainable management of Namibia’s resources;
- Shall be responsible for the granting of licences, and other administration tasks, in the afore-mentioned economic activities.
- Shall co-ordinate land reform and land resettlement policies and programmes;
6) Ministry of Finance
- Shall be responsible for State Income and Expenditure
- Shall collect all monies payable to the state, in the form of taxes, duties, licence fees, or any other state income;
7) Ministry of Works, Transport and State-owned Enterprises
- Shall be responsible for:
- i. Government owned properties
- ii. Government owned businesses (state owned enterprises)
- Shall be responsible for Transport (Aviation, Maritime Affairs, Road and Rail); and
- Shall be a project management unit for all infrastructure development and maintenance.
8) Ministry of Labour Relations
- Shall be responsible for the tripartite relationship with employees, employers and the state. (In the case of state employees, the Office of the Prime Minister shall represent the Employer.)
- Shall maintain a database of occupations and work together with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Education to provide matching services for skills.
9) Ministry of Trade and Industry
- Shall be responsible for:
- i. Consumer Protection
- ii. Industrial Development
- iii. Export Development
- iv. Entrepreneurship
10) Ministry of Education
- Shall be responsible for Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education.
- Shall be responsible for all institutions of learning, both private sector and state. (This will include registration and standards of education provided.)
11) Ministry of Information and Communication-enabled Technologies
- Shall be responsible for disseminating information on the government, its structure and programmes.
- Shall be responsible for the National Library and Information Services;
- Shall oversee developments in ICT for the development of Namibia;
- Shall create and support of Community Centres at all regional and constituency levels. These community centres shall provide information services through broadcasting, print and internet technologies
- Shall regulate the Telecommunications and Broadcasting sector;
- Shall regulate the Electronic Transactions Act (privacy and data protection); and
- Shall be the custodian of the Access to Information Act.
12) Ministry of Justice
(The administrative functions of the judiciary will be done by a department that is headed by a Director-General appointed by the Parliament of Namibia.)
- Shall consist of the following:
- i. Office of the Attorney-General
- ii. Office of the Prosecutor-General
- iii. Office of the Ombudsman
13) Ministry of Health and Social Services
- Shall provide clinics, hospitals and health services to all residents;
- Shall oversee the national social security and national pension scheme; and
- Shall be responsible for the payments of old age pensions, war veterans allowances and disability grants.
14) Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare
- Shall be responsible for equality of women in all areas of government; and
- Shall be responsible for all areas of child welfare from birth through to primary education.
15) Ministry of Regional and Local Government
- Shall assist and regulate the activities of the regional and local governments;
- Shall be responsible for the programme of decentralisation; and
- Shall provide administrative support services to regional and the constituency level offices.
16) Ministry of Defence
- Shall be responsible for the defence of the country from external threats; and
- Shall be responsible for the protection of our natural resources, on land or in the sea.
17) Ministry of Correctional Services
- Shall be responsible for the carrying out the sentences of the courts; and
- Shall identify work programme for the prisoners sentenced to forced labour.
18) Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture
- Shall oversee the Directorate of Youth and the National Youth Council; and
- Shall be responsible for Sport and Culture in Namibia
Other Institutional Bodies
Anti-Corruption Commission
Corruption is bad for our country. It prevents growth by diverting funds, scaring foreign investment and encourages educated citizens to leave so as not to be also considered part of a corrupt state. The corrupt allocation of natural resources will lead to the depletion of these resources to the detriment of all citizens. It breaks the trust between the people and its government. Most importantly is puts in doubt the ability of the government, civil service and all politicians. In other words it endangers our democracy and the rule of law.
Study proves corruption is less profitable
“Not only do you get punished by God for corruption, now we know you get punished on earth too”, said one of the readers of a recent study on corruption.
A recent study on ethics in business shows that companies that have high ethical standards and behaviour are more profitable than their competitors. Suppliers and customers alike prefer working with a company where the “rules are clear” and business decisions cannot be influenced by employees.
Most politicians bend the laws of the land and steal money or solicit bribes because they need the funds to support networks of patronage. Others do it in order to reward their nearest and dearest or to maintain a lavish lifestyle when their political lives are over. A solution is to ensure that upon retirement, a politician is able to sustain their lifestyle through a regular pension payout. Of course, effective policing and long jail terms also provide deterrents.
Effective Programme against Corruption
To be effective, an anti-corruption programme must:
- Persecute corrupt high profile public officials in public and private institutions, and even multinational companies. (the so-called “big fish”)
- Investment in educating the public and government officials to encourage “civic pride”;
- Liberalising and deregulating the economy. The less “red tape” or licensing procedures, the less the likelihood of corrupt practices to “facilitate business”.
- Strengthening of the institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission, Police, Customs, the Courts and the Tax Authorities.
The best solution to corruption remains a policy of no secrets. This means free, accessible, and available information circulated and discussed by opposition parties, free press, trade unions, business organisations and NGO’s. Without this, the fight against corruption is doomed to failure. With them it stands a chance.
Government Service Directories
The government needs two methods of information provision to its citizens. There is the information created through the work of the state that needs to be disseminated among the society. This is the “push strategy” whereby government must ensure the information reaches all corners of the country. An example of this is voter education, or information about preferential trade agreements.
The second method is to provide the infrastructure for the citizens to query the information they require. This “pull strategy” must provide for community centres, telecentres, etc. that enable the citizen to correctly identify the information they need. An example is crop prices for commodities or applications for Identity Documents.
A way to ensure better service provision, and usage by our people, is to provide:
a) A “Local Government Service Directory”. The information will be on a regional and constituency level indicating the services provided by all government institutions with their full addresses and the person responsible.
b) A Government Ministry Directory. This includes all staff members in the Ministry, their department, job title and brief description of their duties. Contact details will also be included.
E-governance in Namibia
Electronic Governance is managed by the Office of the Prime Minister (which is the lead institution in e-government). They released the e-Governance policy for the public service of Namibia. That document uses the definition of e-governance from the Council of Ministers of the European Union “Technologies in public administrations, combined with organizational change and new skills, in order to improve public and democratic process and strengthen support for public policies.”
Unfortunately, once again in Namibia we have a well -designed national policy that recognises the technological advances in the country, but implementation seems to be holding us back. This can especially be seen in the websites of government. Many have very little interactivity (downloading forms, etc) and often are badly neglected and not updated.[i]
In Namibia we have the opportunity to be a leading example in this field, but sadly there are no “champions” within government driving this programme.
[i] http://mysite.pratt.edu/~jtomlins/619/e-government_in_namibia.pdf