Key bills signed into law

On Friday three long-awaited bills were signed into law by President Hage Geingob during a public signing ceremony.
Witnessed by cabinet members, public service officials and the media, Geingob put pen to paper to enact the Anti-corruption Amendment Act, the Namibia Investment Promotion Act and the Business and Intellectual Property Authority Act.
Under the amendments to the Anti-corruption Act, the title of the head of the Anti-Corruption Commission will change from director to director-general and the deputy director to deputy director-general.
Moreover, the law make provision for the appointment of a permanent secretary for the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Geingob explained that the title changes and the appointment of a permanent secretary were “aimed at giving the leadership of the ACC greater executing powers which will allow them to carry out their mandates more effectively”.
He added that the new position of permanent secretary at the ACC would relieve the burden on the top two of “too many administrative matters … allowing them to concentrate on their immediate responsibilities”.
The president said the long-awaited Namibia Investment Promotion Act was a personal milestone, “since I recall the extensive groundwork that took place during my tenure as minister of trade and industry.”
The law, which is expected to make fundamental changes to the country’s trade and investment environment, was drafted with the objective of providing a “clear and transparent framework for investment and to provide efficient dispute resolution mechanisms”, Geingob explained.
The new Act, in line with efforts to improve performance in all sectors, would “introduce the concept of performance agreements if deemed appropriate”, he said.
He added that through the Act, the minister of industrialisation, trade and SME development would have the option, “in the interest of national security and public interest, to reserve certain sectors for certain categories of investors or for the state or Namibians.”
The promulgation of the third Act makes provision for the establishment of the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA), which has already operated to some degree and is aimed at implementing a number of reform measures related to business and intellectual property rights registrations.
BIPA is hoped to improve service delivery and ensure the effective administration of business and intellectual property rights in the country.
Geingob said all three acts were critical to Namibia’s successful implementation of the Harambee Prosperity Plan.
“The last two Acts in particular are very relevant to our competitiveness agenda. They provide clarity to investors about the investor environment as well as facilitating a one-stop-shop approach to investment.”
He said it was hoped the laws would prompt more streamlined processes and procedures in order to ease the regulatory burden of doing business in Namibia.
JANA-MARI SMITH