‘Significant progress’ on information commissioner recruitment

The appointment of Namibia’s information commissioner and deputy information commissioner remains stuck in limbo months after Information Minister Emma Theofelus halted the recruitment process, with no appointments yet made and the Access to Information Act still not fully operational.

Theofelus told parliament last week that consultations with the final two stakeholders are now nearing completion, following years of bureaucratic and administrative hold-ups.

The law, signed by former president Hage Geingob in 2022, has yet to come into effect.

The minister was responding to an urgent question from Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) lawmaker John Louw Mouton, who pressed the minister on the continued delay in appointing the two commissioners and fully implementing the Access to Information Act.

Parliament advertised the vacancies earlier this year, but Theofelus halted the recruitment in February, citing a lack of consultation on the implementation of the Act.

 “I can assure you that this is not a delay tactic,” Theofelus told parliament last week.

Inching closer

The information commissioner position carried an annual remuneration package of about N$1.4 million.

Theofelus said the ministry had since made “significant progress” towards restarting the process, with consultations held with multiple stakeholders.

“We have consulted multiple stakeholders with the exception of only two,” she said.

The information commissioner will have significant powers under Section 9 of the Access to Information Act, including promoting, monitoring and protecting the right of access to information.

The commissioner can also review information withheld on exemption grounds to determine whether such exemptions comply with the law.

The office is intended to serve as a regulator and advocate for transparency and accountability in the public interest.