Poverty ministry most secretive

The 2016 Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Transparency Assessment has ranked Namibia’s poverty ministry as the most secretive public institution in the country and expressed concern over a “culture of secrecy and incompetence” in some other public offices.

According to the report, journalists in Namibia still find it difficult to access information from most public institutions which leads to a delay in the provision of information that is in the public’s interest.

“Furthermore, the lack of quotable information from official government sources, especially related to corruption and poor service delivery, results in journalists having to rely on anonymous sources,” the report stated.

The report surveyed eight public offices including the National Council of Namibia, Ministry of Youth, National Service and Sport, Ministry of Industrial Trade and SME Development, Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Ministry of Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Anti-Corruption Commission.

“Of the eight public institutions surveyed, only five had fully functional websites while two institutions have no website, while the third has a website that does not convey much information, except the physical address and contact details of their public relations officer and the person responsible for information communication technology,” it stated.

The report further recommended that public institutions should be more active on social media and regularly update their websites.

It highlighted that online platforms are influential and effective tools for information dissemination and direct interaction with the public on issues of national interest.

“Citizens are now progressively using social media, and public institutions should use this to their advantage, especially those who want reach the youth, who form the majority of the country’s population,” stated the report.

It also advised that there is a need that public relations officers and information officers to be proficient in giving timely information to the public when requested to do so.

“They seem to want to continuously pass on the request or task to another person. These officers should be trained in updating websites, including social media sites. Public institutions should consider investing in new communication tools that will allow the public access to information, regardless of where they are,” said the report.

It further pointed out that the public too, must hold public institutions accountable when they are refused information or ignored.