Namibia’s national development frameworks, from Vision 2030 to the recently launched Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and the Digital Government Roadmap 2024-2026, emphasise digital transformation as central to governance, service delivery and inclusive socio-economic progress. 

These documents envision a digital future driven by increased internet access, cyber resilience, e-governance and a robust information and communication technology (ICT) sector. However, despite these ambitions on paper, there is a significant institutional misalignment in how information technology (IT) is managed within the public sector.

The government often confuses ICT and IT. While ICT covers policymaking, broadcasting and communication infrastructure, IT refers to the engineers, developers, analysts, cybersecurity professionals and support staff who develop and operate the systems essential for e-government. 

Nonetheless, in most ministries and parastatals, IT professionals still report to finance or administration departments, often with limited influence over strategic planning, budgeting or digital policy implementation.

This misalignment fundamentally hampers the government’s digital transformation goals. Digital systems are not mere add-ons but the backbone of service delivery. 

Initiatives like e-health platforms, digital civil registration, online tax systems, payment gateways and cybersecurity monitoring rely on IT leadership integrated into decision-making processes. When IT is seen as a support function rather than a strategic partner, these systems tend to be underfunded, poorly planned and inadequately maintained. Digital transformation extends beyond websites and email. 

It involves systemic reform through data use, process re-engineering, secure platforms and scalable infrastructure. Effective decision-making in these areas requires leaders who understand IT deeply and are held accountable for results. Increasingly, countries appoint chief information officers (CIOs) at the national and institutional levels. CIOs participate at the executive level, translating strategy into systems, managing digital risks, ensuring data integrity and coordinating cross-sectoral digital initiatives. Namibia, however, lacks such formal CIO roles in most ministries and government-controlled entities. While a few parastatals have an executive of ICT as part of top management, this is the exception rather than the rule. Most IT managers in public institutions remain marginalised from decision-making, leaving digital initiatives vulnerable to misalignment or failure. This structural issue is not simply technical but political and developmental. Namibia’s targets require stronger IT leadership. NDP6 aims to increase internet access from 53% to 90% by 2030 and to grow the ICT sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product from 1.6% to 4%. 

It includes plans for a national data centre, a modernised civil registration system, a digital curriculum for schools and a cybercrime strategy. All these initiatives need more than procurement and project management. They require system design, architecture, integration and long-term governance – all of which are IT responsibilities.

Across the public sector, many strategic meetings occur without IT professionals present. 

Budgets are created, procurement plans are developed, and policies are reviewed without the technical expertise of those who will implement and maintain these systems. 

This leads to duplicate platforms, fragmented databases, poor interoperability and wasted public resources. IT must be part of the decision-making process from the start, not just called upon after decisions are made.

As Namibia invests in digital infrastructure, data strategies and integrated service platforms, it must also develop leadership structures capable of delivering these. Ministries and parastatals should establish official CIO roles with clear mandates, reporting lines to top leadership and accountability for digital governance. IT divisions should be elevated from administrative functions and restructured into strategic units that help shape critical systems aligned with national priorities.

It is no longer sufficient to mention digital transformation in policy documents while excluding those who can implement it. 

Namibia must view IT not just as a back-office support function but as a fundamental component of modern governance. 

The CIO’s role is about more than titles. 

It is about aligning leadership with the demands of the digital age.

*Timo Neisho is an ICT practitioner with over 15 years of experience in software development, enterprise systems and digitalisation. The views expressed in this article are his and do not necessarily reflect his official position of any institution.