Paulina Ndalikokule

KAGUNI – The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MICT), in collaboration with Nampol, the gender ministry, Unicef, Salt Essential IT and ChildLine/LifeLine Namibia, conducted an outreach programme across constituencies in Kavango West to promote the safe and responsible use of the internet.

The awareness outreach, which began last Monday, formed part of preparations for the commemoration of World Radio Day and Safer Internet Day, held at Mururani in the Mankumpi constituency on Saturday.

Community members welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely and informative. Lahya Hamutenya, a resident of Kaguni village in the Kapako constituency, applauded the government for extending the campaign to rural communities when the team visited on Wednesday.

She shared her recent experience of losing more than N$2 000 through an organised scam that targeted her FNB account via her mobile phone. Also addressing residents at Kaguni village, Vanessa Maresch, empowerment specialist at Salt Essential IT, educated the community on how to avoid falling victim to online scams.

Maresch urged the public to safeguard their personal information, use strong and unique passwords for each account, enable two-factor authentication, review privacy settings regularly, verify online content before sharing, and report cybercrime to the relevant authorities. She further encouraged responsible online behaviour and mindful posting on social media platforms.

Safer Internet Day is commemorated worldwide every year on 10 February. This year, Namibia joins the international community in raising awareness about online safety and responsible digital citizenship.

*Paulina Ndalikokule is an information officer at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (MICT) in Kavango West.