WINDHOEK – Speaker of the National Assembly Professor Peter Katjavivi has launched the institution’s first strategic plan aimed at, among others, strengthening the institutional capacity in order to effectively achieve its constitutional mandate.
The strategic plan, which runs from 2018 to 2020, is to work as a tool for mobilisation and management of resources based on clearly defined objectives, outputs, and measurable performance indicators. 

It aims to streamline and harmonise, in a systematic and strategic manner, the business of the National Assembly with the national vision and NDP 5 and create an enabling environment for the growth and sustainability of participatory democracy in Namibia.

Speaking at the launch held at Parliament last week, Katjavivi says the strategic plan is a vital policy tool that has been long overdue.

He further said the strategic plan guides the institution’s Performance Management System (PMS) as part of the broader agenda for changes’ initiatives.

“Performance agreements for all staff members as measured against agreed-upon targets are guided by the strategic plan,” he said, adding that parliamentary staff are expected to serve Members of Parliament (MP’s) and therefore their service should be driven by the business ethos of offering quality services to them and the public at large.  

Katjavivi said parliamentary oversight over the executive, especially when it comes to the use of public resources is the bedrock of parliamentary democracy.

“In order for parliament to be able to effectively exercise its oversight functions, it must be guided by specific strategic objectives that are captured in a strategic plan,” he said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Secretary to the National Assembly Lydia Kandetu said the plan was followed by the crating of the institution Annual Plans which according to her are very important management tools that would enable the body to track the performance of the different units.
She said the next hurdle that they need to cross is the rolling out of the strategic plan by aligning the institution annual plan to cascade those performance agreements of staff members that would enable them to monitor the performance of individual staff members.

“Regarding the rolling out of performance agreement, we are looking forward to working with the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to utilise their professional expertise as we also involve them in providing us with guidelines for the Strategic Plan,” she said.