Rudolf Gaiseb
Deputy prime minister Natangwe Ithete, who chairs the Economics and Public Administration Parliamentary Standing Committee, recommends enhanced regulatory frameworks for State-owned enterprises.
This is to ensure effective and efficient service delivery within the public sector.
He stated that improving the sector requires greater alignment of national policies with strategic development priorities.
“The committee recommends strengthening human resources management, decentralising government services, enforcing accountability in financial oversight, increasing investment in skills development, enhancing anti-corruption measures and accelerating the digitalisation of public services,” he said.
The committee’s recent report asserts that urgent reforms are needed to improve public service efficiency and national governance.
The report indicates that the internal auditing function in Namibia’s public sector is flawed, succumbing to non-compliance with procurement and State policies, as well as high levels of corruption and maladministration.
“These issues highlight a disconnect between the ideal role of internal audit, which is to ensure that public resources are used responsibly and ethically – and the current reality, where ineffective audits undermine public trust and governance.
This situation underscores the necessity for stronger, more independent and objective internal auditing practices to reinforce accountability and restore confidence in public institutions,” it states.
The auditor general, who has voiced concern on the issues at hand, is mandated to audit offices, ministries and agencies (OMAs), regional councils, local authorities and funds.
He views internal audit as a cornerstone of good governance, which is essential for ensuring accountability, transparency and effective management of public sector organisations.
Meanwhile, the report shows that between the 2018/19 and 2022/23 financial years, financial accountability in Namibia’s public sector has exhibited concerning trends, particularly within OMAs.
“The number of OMAs receiving unqualified audit opinions signifies sound financial management,” it notes.
In contrast, qualified audit opinions, which indicate issues with financial reporting, increased from two to eight OMAs.
There were two adverse audit opinions recorded in the 2023/24 financial year, further signalling deteriorating financial practices.
A slight improvement was noted, with disclaimer audits reducing from two to none.
However, the overall trend reflects a decline in financial accountability within OMAs.
The state of financial accountability among State-owned enterprises (SOEs), regional councils and local authorities has also worsened.
“Unqualified audits for these entities dropped sharply from 13 to six, highlighting significant weaknesses in financial governance. Although there has been some improvement in reducing qualified audits from nine to three and adverse opinions from 47 to 32, these figures still indicate persistent and widespread financial management issues,” the report stipulates.
Disclaimers have improved slightly, decreasing from 35 to 14.
However, these numbers remain concerning.
Many OMAs, SOEs, regional councils and local authorities request special extensions.
However, this extension tends to create a continuous cycle that hampers true accountability.
“The data reveals a troubling pattern. Internal audits, which are crucial for ensuring compliance, accountability and the proper use of public funds, are not functioning effectively across these entities,” the report states.