Access to Information is a key component of well-functioning democracies: citizens need to be well-informed about what is happening in government. Namibia has signed on to a variety of regional and international agreements that commit us to implementing access to information regimes, and yet little concrete has come of this commitment.
For this report, IPPR researchers contacted 105 organisations ranging from government ministries to public enterprises, private companies, and civil society organisations. While there were some responses, the overall picture is grim: 80% of all bodies contacted either did not respond or said they could not provide the information. Disconcertingly, almost 60% simply did not respond at all — pointing towards a general attitude that prioritises secrecy over transparency across Namibia, be it in government or in the private sector.
