Speaker slams payment delays to service providers

National Assembly speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has expressed frustration with officials who treat deadlines as loose targets rather than maximum timelines, singling out the habitual delay in paying government contractors despite clear regulatory timeframes.During her maiden speech on Thursday, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila came out swinging against what she described as a culture of bureaucratic complacency in the public service, particularly in relation to the timely payment of service providers. "If you have to pay a service provider that has done work for the government and it is required that the payment be done in 30 days, that official, when you ask them after three days of the invoice being submitted, says, ‘No, no, we have up to 30 days," Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said.“The maximum is not the minimum. Just because we are given 30 days does not mean we must use all 30. If we can do it in three, let’s do it in three,” she stressed.Payment delays to service providers have plagued the system for years.In 2019, The Namibian reported that several businesses had raised concerns about the government&#039;s failure to pay on time, highlighting the impact on their operations and the broader economy.The state was criticised not only for late payments, but also for the knock-on effect these delays had on tax refunds.Following this, the finance ministry set itself an ambitious 30-day turnaround time to process payment claims from service providers for any services or goods delivered to the government and its agencies.Optimal performance Kuugongelwa-Amadhila also called for a shift in mindset across the civil service, one rooted in results, efficiency and smart governance. “We must move away from bureaucracies and instead embrace a culture that is dedicated and results-oriented," she said."Find simpler ways to accomplish the same outcomes, and focus on the results. Smart work enables us to achieve more with less effort, time, and money... You achieve the same results and you are happier, and we will not be angry with one another and shout at each other just because we are so tired."The speaker also underlined the importance of digital transformation and emphasised that public servants must extract more value from government investment in technology. "Now we spend a lot of money on gadgets and many of us only know how to call and send a message. But we can do a lot more with these things,” she said. “We must entrench a culture of optimal performance and meet the expectations of our clients in terms of the services that we offer. Besides improved performance, performance management is the way that we ensure accountability to the public. It doesn’t matter what you do. You can be a cleaner, a messenger. You don’t have to occupy a very senior office. But if you put your best efforts into what you do and you aim to transform society, and if all of us do that, then our society will be transformed."Kuugongelwa-Amadhila added that while many Namibians live in poverty, Namibia is endowed with sufficient resources to ensure a better life for all."... More than enough [for all of us] to actually prosper... we must change that. And only we can change that.”The speaker also urged the youth in government to rise to the moment. “I see a lot of young faces. The government offices are becoming increasingly young. So it means that you actually are in charge. You have the power. You only need to exercise it."nikanor@nmh-hub.com.na

Speaker slams payment delays to service providers

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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Speaker slams payment delays to service providers

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-01

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