Katima Mulilo – The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) held its quarterly engagement with chief regional officers yesterday in Katima Mulilo.
Acting executive director Linda Aipinge-Nakale delivered the opening remarks.
Welcoming participants to the Zambezi region, Aipinge-Nakale reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to supporting regional leadership in delivering efficient and effective public services.
She said the gathering was not a routine exercise but a vital platform to strengthen collaboration between central and regional government structures.
“Our meeting today is a reflection of our commitment to champion information and communication technology for socio-economic development,” she said.
Aipinge-Nakale highlighted the ministry’s role in advancing President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s call for coordinated efforts to create jobs and drive tangible development.
She stressed that the MICT is fully aligned with National Development Plan 6 (NDP6), which focuses on fostering economic growth, inclusiveness and resilience.
She noted three priority pillars for the ICT sector.
Pillar one is on economic growth, transformation and resilience – focusing on digital infrastructure, emerging technologies and cybersecurity to drive universal connectivity.
Pillar two is human development and community resilience – supporting Namibia’s creative industries, particularly film, to boost the gross domestic product and create jobs.
The other pillar is effective governance and public service delivery – strengthening transparency, access to information and decentralisation to improve citizen satisfaction.
The acting executive director announced several ongoing and upcoming initiatives, including the rollout of government information centres in all regions, supported by a new operational manual.
Government will also ensure the construction of regional MICT offices across all 14 regions to bring services closer to communities.
She also mentioned the decentralisation of print and audio-visual functions, with devolution currently underway.
The other area is government funding for radio access network sites to improve connectivity in underserved areas.
The government will also present the draft communication strategy, community media framework and government communication system, alongside findings from a social media audit of public service online presence.
Aipinge-Nakale revealed that the platform has attracted interest from other offices, ministries and agencies.
The Office of the Prime Minister participated in the session to reinforce the importance of ongoing public service reforms.
Aipinge-Nakale encouraged regional leaders to actively contribute their perspectives, noting that the success of government initiatives depends on two-way engagement.
“This platform would not be fruitful if our engagements are one-sided.
We look forward to your insights on how we can improve public service delivery, as we collectively work towards wealth creation, equality and employment,” she urged.