Decade of Peace, Democracy and Prosperity

Office of the President

Introduction

Article 27 of the Constitution of the Republic of Namibia stipulates that “the President shall be the Head of State and of the Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Force” and that “the executive power of the Republic of Namibia shall vest in the President and the Cabinet.” Thus, the Office of the President is not only the highest, but also the most important office in the country because it exists to provide all the necessary support to the Head of State in the carrying out of his national responsibilities.

Article 32 of the Constitution stipulates functions, powers and duties of the President: “As Head of State, the President shall uphold, protect and defend the Constitution as the Supreme Law, and shall perform with dignity and leadership all acts necessary, expedient, reasonable and incidental to the discharge of the executive functions of the Government, subject to the overriding terms of this Constitution and the laws of Namibia, which he or she is constitutionally obliged to protect, to administer and to execute.”

The Constitution also stipulates that, each year, during the consideration of the official budget, the President shall address the Parliament on the state of the nation and on the future policies of the government. His other powers are also listed in Article 32 of the Constitution.

In order to carry out his responsibilities, the President, in terms of the provisions of Article 32, appoints the Prime Minister, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, the Attorney-General, the Director General of Planning, and any other person or persons who are required by any other provision of the Constitution or any other law to be appointed by the President.  Article 35 of the Constitution also empowers the President to appoint a Deputy-Prime Minister.

In addition, he, on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission, appoints the Chief Justice, the Judge-President of the High Court, other Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court, the Ombudsman, and the Prosecutor-General.

In terms of Article 36 of the Constitution, the Prime Minister, as the leader of Government business in Parliament, co-ordinates the work of the Cabinet and advises and assists the President in the execution of the functions of the Government.

The President’s responsibilities, however, go far beyond just what is stipulated in the Constitution and any other laws. He, as the Executive President, is responsible for promoting harmony, and is ultimately responsible for the welfare of the citizens.

The challenges faced by the first President of Namibia have very much been out of the ordinary:

1.      The colonial legacy of divide and rule, the oppressive legacy of apartheid, and long and bitter struggle for liberation and freedom had strained  the fabric of the newly independent country.

2.      Apartheid policies of the colonial era had dispossessed the marginalised the majority of the population of the country with the result that independent Namibia had inherited enormous social deficit, landlessness, a large illiterate population, poorly equipped and staffed schools, limited health services, a large percentage of unemployed and unskilled young people, and a stagnant and narrowly based economy.

3.      On independence, there was enormous demand to correct the wrongs of the past.

4.      At the time of independence, Walvis Bay and offshore islands were still in the hands of South Africa and Namibia was carrying the burden of debt incurred by the South Africans for their military adventures in the north.

5.      Democracy was new concept for the majority long oppressed and isolated by the colonial regime.

These challenges would have tested the mettle of even the leadership of an old and established government. However, the first President of Namibia began the process of addressing these challenges in a way that made Namibia earn the title of a success story – success of the international community that had helped the process of independence, and a success story of Africa during the terminal year of the Cold War.

In the first instance, the President began the process of reconciling the nation. The government adopted a policy of reconciliation and the President took it upon himself to ensure the diverse communities and groups that there would be no reprisals and that there was room for every citizen in new Namibia. As a result of this effort, he was able to create a new culture of tolerance in the country. We are proud that because of his efforts at promoting tolerance, peace was assured and there was no exodus from Namibia. His commitment to human rights, and his assurances to all concerned within and outside the country won Namibia many friends.

He had also personally taken great interest in facilitating the return of Walvis Bay and offshore islands to Namibia peacefully, and in getting South Africa to write off the one billion dollar debt that rightfully belonged to the colonial power. On both these fronts, his personal efforts facilitated an early solution to these problems.

In order to understand and find ways to address the problems of citizens in the remotest corners of the country, the President travels every part of the country to listen to the people, and to understand their problems. This interaction with the dispossessed and the marginalised is seen by him as the first step in the government’s effort at bringing development to the people. Working through his Cabinet, he has sought to reduce social deficit with the provision of schools, clinics, potable water, and electricity to rural areas.

He is dedicated to making Namibia’s agriculture an important economic activity and to ensuring that the rural areas benefit from agricultural promotion initiatives. As a result of his efforts, Namibia has today become an important producer of grapes that are being exported.

In order to promote industrial harmony in the country, the President has often taken personal interest in resolving labour conflicts. In order to promote the economy of the country, he also established a President’s Economic Advisory Council that brings all the social partners, the government, employers’ organisations and workers’ organisations together to address national economic issues.

The President has taken personal interest in promoting investment in the country. Towards achieving this end, he meets investors and industrialists, and travels to international investor conferences to put Namibia’s case to the investment community. As a result of these efforts, much investment has come to Namibia in fisheries, mining, tourism, and manufacturing.

In the international fora, the President’s pan-Africanist credentials are well-recognised and he actively promotes Africa and Namibia in international and regional fora, such as, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), G77, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). He also regularly attends the summits of the Organisation of African Unity, the Southern African Development Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and Commonwealth Heads of State meetings. At these fora, the President emphasises Namibian perspective to the global and regional issues. Similarly, the President receives and hosts state, official and private dignitaries from several countries as well as from inside Namibia.

The President has also worked hard to promote democracy and respect of the Constitution and has not hesitated in reversing decisions that were not in keeping with the Constitution. It is well-known that the President cancelled an appointment to the post of Ombudsman as his appointment was not recommended by the Judicial Service Commission. Such an example shows that the President does, indeed, lead by example.

In January 1998, the President also articulated Vision 2030: To transform Namibia into an industrialised nation by the year 2030. Based on this vision, the government is now busy developing a mission statement and targets to be achieved at different stages of our progression towards the year 2030. In a nutshell, what the vision means is that by 2030 Namibia should be a nation whose economy is well diversified and integrated. The vision should lead to the fundamental transformation of the economy. It will mean expanding the country’s productive capacity and increasing its competitiveness. It also means that the country would have advanced to a stage where its manufacturing sector is contributes increasing share to the nation’s GDP. The President continues to take personal interest in putting in place mechanisms to concretise this vision.

In recognition of these achievements, the President has been honoured with numerous awards, including honorary doctorates, peace prizes, and honours for outstanding achievement.

In the carrying out of his responsibilities, the President is assisted by the staff of his Office. The Office of the President comprises Department Presidential Affairs, Department State House Administration, and Internal Audit Section. The Department Presidential Affairs has two directorates, Directorate President’s Private Office, and Directorate Executive Policy and Liaison. The Secretary to the President is the accounting officer of the Office of the President and the Secretary to the Presidency (Policy Matters) is responsible for keeping the President informed on all policy initiatives.

In addition to the various components of the Office of the President proper, and in keeping with the provisions of Article 129 of the Constitution, the National Planning Commission is a part of this Office. Minister Without Portfolio, Department Women’s Affairs, Namibia Security Intelligence Agency, Office of the Auditor General, and the Secretariat of the National Planning Commission also fall under the Office of the President

Department of Women Affairs

More than half of the total number of women in Namibia live in rural areas where they continue to work in subsistence farming. The majority of these women have no access to or control over productive resources and continue to be affected by gender disparities in formal employment. Both public and private employers recruit more men than women with more of these women in subordinate positions. Many more women are employed as domestic and social workers.

Any policies and strategies for increasing women’s economic participation and empowerment must take into consideration development trends, not only in individual countries, but also in the regions and the world as a whole. Indeed, creating an enabling environment, restructuring and integration of all economic activities, agriculture, industry and services and human resources development requires that a paradigm shift takes place.

Capitalising on women’s entrepreneurial potential would mean increasing women’s access to resources and changing traditional and cultural prejudices about the sexual division of labour. Investment climate, if successful, usually stimulates a large demand for female labour.

In the past, economic success was seen as dependant on natural resources and low-cost labour, but today the key elements are technology, capital, telecommunications, skilled labour, and effective management. Therefore, gender sensitive policies need to concentrate on creating an environment conducive to productive employment, profitable entrepreneurship, and equality in income and opportunities.

The National Gender Policy was officially launched in 1997 and adopted by Parliament in 1999 as a legal instrument aimed at facilitating and eventually achieving gender equality. The policy is aimed at redressing the inequalities between women and men. It focuses on improving women’s living conditions by providing practical and forward-looking guidelines and strategies for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the constitutional provisions for gender equality. It further provides for the establishment of a legal gender complaint mechanism accessible to all, and recognises the need to bring on board people with disabilities. This policy is thus a tool that can be used to guide the formulation of national, regional and local gender-related policies and development programmes.

New institutional arrangement need to be created to promote micro- and small-scale industries, thus restructuring the informal sector to close the gap between a few large manufacturing plants and many small, informal industrial units. Current tendencies in economic spheres and restructuring of agriculture, industry, trade and the social sector can lead to further marginalisation of women if the key issue of equality is not addressed at all levels.

In addition, vigorous regional integration and co-operation are necessary in the face of increasing world competition, fast changing technology and the establishment of trading blocks elsewhere.

Within the framework of the National Gender Policy, the Department of Women Affairs has been mandated to promote, facilitate, co-ordinate, monitor, and evaluate the empowerment and development of women to achieve gender equality in all spheres of life. It is to strive for full political and social commitment and equal participation by men and women in decision-making at all levels, and for full recognition of the valuable contribution women make.

Achievements

Legislative Initiatives

A bill to fight the crime of rape is under discussion. This bill aims to redefine the act of rape to include, for example, rape by spouse, and rape of men. It is gender-neutral and will give women greater control over their lives, and greater protection against rape and other acts of violence.

The government has done much to put appropriate legal provisions in place to ensure non- discrimination against women. In order to continue with this emphasis, the government has created a Women and Law Committee within the Law Reform and Development Commission. The primary responsibility of this committee is to make recommendations on law reform as far as discriminatory legislation with regard to women is concerned.

International Participation

Since the convening of the First United Nations World Conference on Women twenty-two years ago (Mexico City, 1975), significant progress has been made towards achieving equality between women and men. Women’s access to education and proper health care have increased their participation in the paid labour force; and their human rights have been recognised and provided legal backing in many countries. As a result, important changes have occurred in the relationship between women and men.

Yet discrimination against women remains widespread. Violence against women remains a global phenomenon, women’s equal access to resources is still restricted. “Glass ceiling” continues to bar women’s advancement in business, government, and politics. Women form an overwhelming majority of the one billion people who are the victims of absolute poverty and illiteracy. Decisions that affect women continue to be made largely by men.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted unanimously at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women (4-15 September 1995) by representatives from 189 countries reflects a new international commitment to the goals of equality, development, and peace for all women everywhere. The platform, divided into six chapters, identifies twelve critical areas of concern. It defines strategic objectives and spells out actions to be taken over the next five years by governments, the international community, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector for the removal of the existing obstacles.

The said document also reaffirmed the commitment of governments to eliminate discrimination against women and to remove all obstacles to equality. Governments also recognised the need to ensure a gender perspective in all their policies and programmes.

The implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Global Platform for Action involves public and private sectors, non-governmental organisations, churches and community leaders. Important gains from Beijing have been:

1.     Responsibility underpinned at highest levels of government.

2.      Gender mainstreaming adopted as the major strategy.

3.      Men’s role in promoting gender equality stipulated.

4.     Declaration and Global Platform for Action endorsed by 189 member states of the United Nations.

5.     Potential for partnerships around the implementation of the Platform for Action enhanced.

The Government of Namibia has been instrumental in getting the SADC Gender and Development Programme off the ground. Consequently Namibia is one of the few SADC member states that have spearheaded the post-Beijing activities in the sub-region. Efforts made resulted in the signing of the Declaration on Gender and Development by SADC Heads of State or Government in Malawi in September 1997.

In June 1998, a SADC Gender Unit was also established at the SADC Secretariat to advise all SADC structures on gender issues and to work with other officers in the SADC Secretariat to ensure that a gender perspective permeates the entire SADC Programme of Action and Community Building Initiative.One of its functions is to ensure the implementation of the 1997 Gender and Development Declaration of SADC Heads of State or Government. Further, the Gender Unit will assist in lobbying and advocacy on gender issues in SADC member states.

Namibia, as a young nation has made enormous strides in improving the status of women and promoting gender equality by:

1.      Ensuring equal constitutional protection of fundamental human rights for both women and men;

2.      Continued legal reforms, and passing of a whole range of legislative instruments to address disparities between women and men;

3.      Mandating affirmative action to provide opportunities for the disadvantaged;

4.     Strengthening the national machinery to promote, monitor and report on progress made as regards gender mainstreaming;

5.     Continued political support and commitment to gender equality; and

6.      Ensuring implementation of National Gender Policy and other policies within both the public and the private sectors.

Challenges for the New Millennium

There is no easy or quick solution to the desire to achieve gender equality, and Namibia still is a long way from finding the desired solution. Training on planning and analysis will therefore need to continue to be part of attempts to find the solution. Some of the issues that need to be recognised include:

1.     Economic policy-makers have well-developed concepts and consistent framework for policy formulation and implementation.

2.      Social policy-makers and analysts are sadly lacking in gender concepts and frameworks.

3.     Social and gender policy relies more on micro-social management instruments in response to macro-economic policy. Without having analysed these from a gender perspective, one misses the right track.

4.     Fact and critical elements are that the policy instruments for all these goals need to be integrated and not relegated to being just residual constraints.

Recognising the lack of conceptual framework and tools for social and gender policy implementation, the suggested approach for policy integration is procedural rather than methodological and should consider the following:

1.      Analysis of prevailing social and gender in balanced structures and changes;

2.     Analysis of social and gender needs; Determination of social and gender objectives;

3.      Gender constraints;

4.      Assessment of social and gender impacts;

5.      Identification of social gender contributions, especially the results of social capital investment in education and health; and

6.     Integrated drafting of development policies by multidisciplinary, economic, social, gender, technology, and environment specialist team.

However, there are other challenges that specifically impact on the areas of decision-making as follows:

1.     Gender stereotypes,

2.     Lack of decision-making power at family level,

3.      Male visibility overshadowing that of female,

4.     Traditional roles,

5.     Educational programmes that eventually exclude women from certain economic activities,

6.     Limited articulation abilities of women due to historical oppression, and

7.     Lack of strong female network, co-ordination, and push for change.

Gender gap at the welfare level arises directly from inequality of access to resources. Women's lower levels of productivity arise from their restricted access to the resources for development and production available in the society – land, credit, labour, and services.  Relative to men, women have lesser access to education and wage employment and lesser access to the services and skills training which make productive employment possible.

Tools like gender analysis and planning from a gender perspective are important for looking at the position of women in the economic development process, and in gender balanced structures. The situation of women cannot be evaluated in isolation.  This is nowhere more obvious than in the home, the family, the work and the community. Significant changes in relation to gender inequality will therefore require that women and men should have the same rights, opportunities and responsibilities; and equality between men and women is a precondition for effective and sustainable people-oriented development.

Starting points may require sequencing various activities as follows: (1) national priorities and initiatives; (2) commitment to the priorities established in Beijing; (3) equality between women and men as an important societal issue; (4) focus on both women and men; (5) mainstreaming gender issues; and (6) gender planning methodology necessary for proper planning.

In conclusion, much has been done, but a lot still need to be done to change attitudes and practices in everyday life. It is only when women begin to ask questions about the division of work, ownership, and decision-making that inequality from the lower to the highest levels in society become visible.

Table 1: Women in Parliaments and Cabinets in the SADC Region

The National Planning Commission

The mission statement of the National Planning Commission (NPC) and its Secretariat (NPCS) is derived from Articles 129, 98 and 95 of the Constitution and the National Planning Commission Act (Act 15 of 1994) which reinforced the imperative of the strategic position of the commission. The NPC, therefore, focussed on identifying key performance areas, critical performance outputs and control mechanisms that realistically had to be set in terms of functions as enumerated by the Act. Specifically the mission of the NPC was set out as:

1.      planning the priorities and direction of national development,

2.      principal adviser to the President and government with regard to all matters pertaining to economic planning,

3.      organisation and collection of statistics and other data required for planning and other purposes, and

4.      design and participation in institution-building and capacity-strengthening activities.

The acceptance of the central co-ordinating role of the NPC by sectoral ministries in particular proved a daunting challenge which was fortified by the fact that the NPC Act was only passed four years after independence. By then, sectoral ministries had evolved ways of doing things. Most decisions with economic implications were taken without conducting economic analyses. The inherent inefficiency of this state of affairs undermined the legitimacy of the NPC, resulting in ministries basically confused about the responsibilities of NPC and, in some instances, feeling that NPC was duplicating their work. These problems notwithstanding, significant achievements which the whole country can be proud of are enumerated below. These developments have been recorded over the past ten years of Namibia’s independence.

Structure of the Commission Secretariat

The NPCS services the commission and comprises the Directorate of Development Planning, the Directorate of Development Co-operation, the Central Bureau of Statistics, the Information Systems Centre, and the General Services Division.

Directorate of Development Planning

This directorate is responsible for the co-ordination, design, evaluation and monitoring of the implementation of national, sectoral and regional, long-range and medium-term development plans and programmes. The directorate has two divisions reflecting the specialised and professional activities: Macroeconomic and Sectoral and Strategic and Regional Planning Division. The former is responsible for macroeconomic and financial policy analysis, human resource planning, population planning, sectoral issues, guiding sectoral ministries in the identification, preparation and appraisal of development projects and programmes, etc. The Strategic and Regional Planning Division is responsible for the appraisal of projects to ensure that they are drawn up in line with predetermined criteria, compilation of annual development budget and guiding budget hearing, ensuring equitable distribution of resources on a regional basis, etc.

Directorate of Development Co-operation

This directorate is responsible for the mobilisation, co-ordination and management of external resources in line with government priorities and to monitor their effective utilisation. The objective is to direct and co-ordinate national efforts on external resource mobilisation in order to supplement available national resources and promote economic development. It is made up of the bilateral and multilateral divisions each of which is responsible for similar activities with respect to its scope of operations.

Central Bureau of Statistics

The Central Bureau of Statistics is responsible for making available objective, relevant, comparable, reliable, timely and easily accessible official statistics in all subject matter areas of national interest and relevance. These statistics are used in policy formulation and other purposes. The department is made up of the Demographic and Social Statistics Division and the Economic Statistics Division. Each of these divisions is responsible for the collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistical data in its area of operations.

Information Systems Centre

The centre is responsible for providing a link among functional directorates through its network of information generation activities, monitoring and progress reporting. It manages the database and assists in the design and provision of data processing tools used for surveys. It is also responsible for ensuring that all computers and embedded systems in the National Planning Commission Secretariat are Y2K compliant by carrying out research and other studies aimed at finding remedial solutions to the problem.

General Services Division

This division is responsible for administrative support by providing services to other directorates with respect to personnel, finance and auxiliary support.

Achievements

First National Development Plan (NDP1)

After five years of independence and successful execution of a three year Transitional National Development Plan, the National Planning Commission Secretariat produced the First National Development Plan (NDP1) Namibia’s first medium term development strategy. NDP1 was formulated through broad-based participation both inside and outside government. The plan was approved by the National Planning Commissioners and the Cabinet in August 1995 and submitted to Parliament in October 1995. The plan intended to cement the foundation for building a truly democratic, transparent and vibrant economy in which all Namibians will be both participants and beneficiaries. NDP1 confirmed the firm resolve of the people of Namibia to fight poverty, unemployment, hunger, disease and underdevelopment. At independence, Namibia inherited a small economy highly integrated with South Africa. The dual structure of the economy with rampant poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and a dangerously skewed income distribution underlined its underdeveloped nature. NDP1’s objective was to enhance the diversification of the economy so that economic growth goes hand in hand with the creation of gainful and sustainable employment opportunities and reduces income inequalities. Economic development is the only guarantee for peace and prosperity with the elimination of unemployment, poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance to improve the living standard of all Namibians. The plan contains details of the activities of all offices, ministries, agencies and parastatal corporations. It outlines broad medium-term objectives, strategies, macroeconomic framework, policies, and recurrent and investment programmes, as well as measurable targets for each sector of government activity. Volume II of NDP1 contains details of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

Preparation for Vision 2030 and NDP2

The government and in particular, the National Planning Commission in collaboration with other institutions has started the preparation of the Vision 2030 and NDP2. Vision 2030 is a long-term national vision which will provide the strategic framework to design broad strategies for long-term national development to be operationalised through the Second National Development Plan  (NDP2) and subsequent medium term plans. A project document, which outlines the processes for the preparation of Vision 2030 and NDP2 and the expected outputs has been finalised.  Cabinet has approved this document. The objectives of the project document are:

1.    to carry out a comprehensive review of the implementation of the First National Development Plan (NDP1),

2.     to develop a National long-term Perspective Vision for Namibia, and

3.      to formulate the Second National Development Plan (NDP2).

The project proposal identified the participants and suggested committees to be involved in the whole process and the activities in which they will be engaged in. The suggested committees are:

1.     National Consultative Committee chaired by the Prime Minister. Members of the committee will include senior representatives from government agencies, private sector institutions, universities and research institutions and civil society.

2.     The National Core Team made up of five members drawn from a broad spectrum of concerns and expertise.

3.      National Multidisciplinary Working Group consisting about thirty to fifty persons representing the major stakeholders.

As Namibia moves on into the twenty-first century, the National Planning Commission and its Secretariat shall continue to fulfil its mission – planning national priorities and directing the course of national development. Addressing all the problems identified at independence would constitute a serious challenge. These problems are still prevalent today as the Mid-Term Review of NDP1 has revealed. They include:

1.     lower than expected rates of economic growth during NDP1;

2.     prevalence of abject poverty among the large section of the population;

3.     skewed income distribution and general inequality; and

4.      high rate of unemployment and the small capacity of the economy in terms of job creation.

In order to address these problems, the NPC has already commenced with various processes including assessing the capacity of main role playing institutions to tackle the problems confronting the country. In addition, there are ongoing activities aimed at ensuring that as Namibia moves into the next millennium, not only would the country have formulated its Second National Development Plan but would also have a longer term vision – Vision 2030. These are serious challenges that the institution would like to rise to.

The first census exercise was conducted in 1991 and the next one is scheduled for the year 2001. In this regard preparatory work has already commenced to ensure that the mapping portion of the exercise is conducted during the course of 2000. A lot of resources will ultimately be required to carry out this enormous exercise and the fact that the task is a daunting one only spurs the institution to rise to the challenge. In conclusion, these ten years have been challenging and the country was faced with a lot of problems emanating from within and without. The drought situation of the 90s is still fresh in the memory of every citizen and concerted efforts are being made to ensure that, in light of the fact that drought is more or less a normal occurrence, proper budgeting for this is conducted by creating a drought fund.

Population and Housing Census

The 1991 census was carried successfully with support from the United Nations Development Programme and other international donors, and the following reports were published:

1.      The Preliminary Census Report published in 1992 covers classification of the population in the districts by density, growth rate and urban/rural place of enumeration and sex.

2.     The Census Report A contains detailed statistical data disaggregated by the then existing twenty-seven administrative districts.

3.      The Census Report B contains detailed statistical data disaggregated by the thirteen administrative regions.

4.      The Census Report C comprises tables for localities with 2000 or more persons.

5.     A Population Atlas for Namibia to be published soon.

Over the last five to six years, the data from the 1991 Census has been used extensively by various government and non-governmental institutions, both at home and abroad. As a by-product of the census, the office also created a sample frame of geographical areas.  This frame was used to select the master sample which is widely used by many offices, ministries and agencies that wish to conduct sample surveys in Namibia, including the CSO.

In 1993 the CSO formulated a Five-year Plan of Development of Statistics in Namibia with the emphasis on the generation of statistics required to monitor the progress towards the achievement of the Transitional Development Plan and in order to provide a firm statistical basis for the First Development Plan (NDP1). During a users/producers workshop, a National Household Survey Programme (NHSP) was adopted, which could provide useful statistics for charting and assessing the socio-economic development of the Namibian society.

Socio-economic Integration for Ex-combatants

In order to accord central prominence to addressing the plight of unemployed ex-combatants, Cabinet decided in 1996 to transfer this responsibility from the Committee of Deputy Ministers to the National Planning Commission. Thereafter, a company, the Socio-economic Integration Programme for Ex-Combatants, was established as it had become apparent that there was considerable resistance on the part of private sector companies to absorb the ex-combatants and freedom fighters.

War Orphans

In May 1996, Cabinet decided that assistance be given to orphaned children of parents who died during the liberation struggle waged between 26 August 1966 and 18 June 1989. This assistance is limited up to the age of 21 and children are given N$2000 in two instalments. This has now been changed to N$333.33 per month. The total number of beneficiaries per region is given below:

Table 2: Orphan beneficiaries from the SIPE programme

Ex-Combatants Registration

During 1998 there were demonstrations throughout the country with the majority of ex-combatants assembled at the Windhoek Showgrounds demanding to be employed by the government. The Cabinet Committee on Defence and Security then set up a Technical Committee of senior officials in the public service to address the problem. The latter committee commenced with the registration exercise at the Showgrounds and this was carried to all thirteen regions of the country.

The ex-combatants were properly classified and the registration exercise resulted in a set of recommendations to employ the ex-combatants that Cabinet approved on 15 December 1998. Table 3 indicates the total number of ex-combatants registered.

Table 3: Number of ex-combatants registered

Table 4 depicts the placement of ex-combatants on the basis of the recommendations given by the Technical Committee on Ex-Combatants.

Table 4: Placement of ex-combatants in the public service

It is worth mentioning that some institutions have employed ex-combatants without being allocated numbers. This means that the total number of ex-combatants employed far exceeds the number given above.

Challenges for the New Millennium

One of the challenging elements in the implementation of the policy is the lack of institutional and manpower capacities in the fields of planning at the regional and local levels. The policy makes provision for the establishment of regional planning units under the regional councils. The proposed structure for regional planning has been drawn up and consideration is now on the remuneration of the regional planners that are to be recruited.

Another challenge is the fact that regional councils currently do not get direct funding for development projects for their regions and still have to rely heavily on line ministries to allocate resources to their respective regions through the development budget.  This results in a situation whereby regional priorities are sidelined.

Office of the Auditor General

The Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) general objective is to undertake on behalf of the Auditor General, audit duties as specified in Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the State Finance Act, 1991. These duties include amongst others:

1.      the audit of accounts and supporting records stipulated in Sections 4, 12, 14 and 24 of the Act;

2.      examination of systems and controls for safeguarding public assets, including equipment, stores and cash;

3.      investigations to determine whether public resources have been used in an efficient, effective and economic manner; and

4.      reporting to the national assembly the results of any investigation, examination and audit carried out in terms of the Act or any other law.

Therefore, considering the foregoing, the OAG is the supreme audit institution in Namibia. In summary, the prime objective of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), is to enhance the socio-economic development of the nation through the promotion of sound financial management and proper accountability for public funds and assets for which institutions within the auditor general’s remit are responsible. This is achieved through audit work designed to provide an independent assurance to the National Assembly and the public that:

1.      all revenue due for collection has been collected and accounted for; and that funds provided have been expended for the purposes intended in accordance with the law, rules and regulations and have been properly accounted for; and the funds provided have been expended economically, efficiently and effectively; and

2.      where such assurance cannot be provided, the OAG reports on the shortcomings and makes recommendations to the relevant institutions and the National Assembly for appropriate remedial action.

Structure of the Office of the Auditor General

The OAG has an audit responsibility of over eighty clients. It is divided into three main functional responsibilities: Financial Audit, Performance Audit, and Administration.

Achievements

Auditing Standards

This office has adopted the internationally accepted auditing standards as approved by the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions. It embarked on a capacity building project with financial and human resource assistance funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida).

Financial Audit and Information Technology Related Applications 

Napplied in international audit standards. Documentation of ew audit methodologies were developed consistent with those audit planning, working papers and audit findings was improved to be in line with the set standards. Staff members were all trained in the use of computers to assist them with the audits and report writing. A number of staff completed a course in basic computer audit and how to use computer-assisted techniques. Audit managers were trained in review procedures. A financial audit manual is being compiled and should be tested in the year 2000. The office has developed an internal training course for new entrants in which members of internal audit divisions of other ministries are taking part. Asset inspection audit plans were developed and are currently carried out in accordance with the set standards.

Performance Auditing

The office embarked upon performance auditing since 1994. This type of auditing concentrates on how effectively, efficiently and economically set objectives of government institutions and other statutory bodies have been achieved. The division currently comprises one deputy director, one chief auditor and six auditors. Three reports have already been published.

Various training courses have been attended by the staff members of whom one is currently a trainer assisting in the SADC Regional Training Group. Two staff members went to Sweden for an attachment in performance auditing at the Swedish National Audit Office.

A performance audit manual is currently being prepared and tested. The final product should be completed by the end of the year 2000.

It is intended to increase the number of staff in the Performance Audit Division to at least ten auditors plus one additional chief auditor and deputy director. Cabinet approval has been obtained to expand the office as a whole. It is intended to publish another five reports within the next few months, plus the first follow-up reports on those reports which have been tabled in the national assembly.

Information Technology

In 1990, the office had five computers in place which were utilised for word processing purposes as the office produces its reports internally. Currently the office is equipped with fifty-three workstations linked with an NT network, two servers, software for audit techniques like IDEA, Word for Windows, Excel, PowerPoint and others. The office has also been linked with Internet through which access can be obtained to various databases of other supreme audit institutions. Computer security procedures and a disaster recovery plan are in place and all equipment has been upgraded to be year 2000 compliant. Training in the utilisation of the various software packages is continuously given to all staff members.

Management Practices

A comprehensive management-training program is in place, based on a needs-assessment carried out by the Office of the Prime Minister. Most managers have already participated in various management and leadership courses to enhance their management skills. A human resource utilization plan has been developed for each division and these were consolidated into an overall resource plan. From this plan it became obvious that the office needs to expand its current establishment to at least eighty-two audit staff and twenty administrative staff. Cabinet has approved for the office to expand in order to be able to carry out its statutory obligations. A submission for the establishment of an expanded structure for the office is currently being prepared and it is envisaged that, if approved, it will be phased in over the following three years. A plan of operations until the year 2003 has been developed in the principles of a Logical Framework Approach (LFA) methodology.

External Environment

The office is striving for an own audit act to enhance its independence even further. Aspects to be included are:

1.      The National Assembly to set up a Public Accounts Commission, with responsibility for considering the annual budget prepared by the auditor general, giving details of staffing and other resources required to carry out the statutory audit responsibilities, as well as the terms and conditions of employment to be applied to the staff of the OAG.

2.      The auditor general to prepare and submit to the Public Accounts Commission, an annual budget, as well as proposed staff terms and conditions of employment. In preparing the budget, the auditor general would be required to take into consideration the pay rates and terms of condition applying in the public service.

Challenges for the New Millennium

The OAG is aware that in the past ten years of its infancy it has had limited success in becoming more of an impact institution, it will therefore focus its efforts in addressing this problem in the new millennium by dealing with it at three levels, viz.,: individual, organisational and societal.

Individual

The OAG, like many other organisations in the developing world, needs skilled staff to deliver audits of good quality, on time and within budget. To achieve this, the OAG will need to invest in human resources development on an ongoing basis. This will be in the form of formal on the job training and long-term professional training for individual staff members.  On the job training will be geared to consolidate and update knowledge and skills of the existing audit and administration staff members and the training of new recruits. Professional training will focus on training audit staff with the necessary aptitude to attain recognised professional accountancy qualifications.

Organisational

The challenge at organisational level will be to focus at the OAG’s structure, processes and culture. The objective is to improve structures and processes to achieve more efficient and effective delivery of audit work; to promote open and critical thinking; and to maximise application of knowledge gained by individuals through training. Better structures and audit processes will go a long way in ensuring that professional trained and experienced staff are retained in the office.

Societal

The challenge here will be to make the OAG a more effective and impact-making organisation. In this endeavour the OAG will need to invest time and resources in developing the interest and competence of its main clients, i.e., Select Committee on Public Accounts, members of the National Assembly and the media. This will require the OAG to expend resources in developing techniques for constructive dialogue with the audited bodies and the ability of audit staff to communicate clearly with external clients.

Vision 2030

The vision of the OAG is to help the nation make best use of public resources, and the audited bodies to achieve proper accountability and transparency through compliance with regularity, propriety and accounting requirements.