OMUTHIYA - Oshikoto region governor Penda Ya Ndakolo has welcomed the consultation on the Development of the National Governance (DNG) Report for Namibia by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

At the consultation that took place in Omuthiya yesterday, Ya Ndakolo said the event is a clear indication that the government embraces its mandate with enthusiasm, focus and dedication. He added that the National Governance report is a self-assessment tool for promoting good governance as well as recommendations.

“This report is a sustainable way to measure qualitatively and quantitatively the performance of the most important aspects of democratic and political governance,” he said.

APRM National Governing Council member, Rosetta Nawases said their mandate is to strengthen democracy among member states, reinforcing best practices and achievements, rectify deficiencies in governance and socio-economic development processes, and encourage transformational leadership on the African continent, all through self-assessment and constructive dialogue. “To date, implementation of the recommendations of the targeted review report on youth unemployment is ongoing in some areas, with the first progress report on the status of implementation expected in 2024,” said Nawases.

She added that the first-generation country review report covering the four APRM thematic areas: democracy and political governance, corporate governance, socio-economic development, economic governance and management was undertaken immediately after the completion of the targeted youth review.

“After consultation with the relevant stakeholders in the Oshikoto Region which include the public and private sector and civil society organisations, the National Programme of Action for the country review report was developed and submitted for consideration to the Cabinet and is expected to be launched in October 2023,” Nawases said. She said it is worth noting that the APRM National Plan of Action is done in alignment with the country’s pre-eminent national policies by mainstreaming such through the various sectoral corporate plans of the government’s organisations, ministries, and agencies. “The regional consultation seeks to provide credible, reliable and up-to-date data on the performance governance indicators and ensure periodic and continuous assessment of selected governance areas to detect areas requiring improvement,” Nawases said.

She added that the objective is to imbue a sense of ownership of the country’s governance and to assist the government to formulate informed policies and accurately guiding governance reforms, among others. 

- Nampa