New executive director in the information ministry Audrin Mathe said the majority of government work goes unreported because of a lack of a coordinated information system, but efforts are being made to address such shortcomings.
He said this on Friday while speaking to New Era on the sidelines of a workshop aimed at redefining the government’s communications strategy.
Organised by the information ministry, the two-day meeting saw around 75 communications practitioners from various government offices, ministries and agencies, regional councils and local authorities in attendance.
“From where I’m seated, the government does many things, and most of them go unreported because we lack a system for coordinating information,” the former New Era chief executive officer said.
“That is what we are working on now. I hope that by the end of next week, we will have a shareable document that we can use to consult further.”
Mathe observed that government is responsible for informing citizens, and all institutions of government – from local authorities to central government – have a role in communicating what is going on in their areas.
“The way we communicate will have to change because of the fact that the news cycle is now 24 hours. In addition, we are not the only media player. There are new media on the planet now, and we want to compete in those spaces so that we can get our messages across,” he added.
After the workshop, a new government communications strategy and guidelines for the 2022-2027 period will be drafted.
Meanwhile, a new board of directors for the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) was announced on Thursday afternoon by information and communication technology minister Peya Mushelenga.
He said in a media statement that the five board members were confirmed by Cabinet at the 13th Cabinet meeting held in Windhoek.
The new members are Ndeuhala Lewis (chairperson), Kingsley Guiseb, Bertha Amakali, Elias Mwenyo and Kaulikalelwa Nghishitende.
Their appointment is effective from 01 August 2022 to 31 July 2025.
They replace Rector Mutelo (chairperson), Erenstine Tuneeko, Christian Maketo, Elifas Kamati and Emma Leonard.