Problematic Influences – African national security narratives impacting Namibia
States have a legitimate mandate to protect national security. However, on a global scale, the concept of national security has increasingly become a problematic framework for state approaches to cyberspace and digital technology law. In many countries, the state frequently invokes the rhetoric of national security to justify authoritarian repression and human rights violations. In […]
Quality of Democracy Under Threat
New state mass surveillance powers and looming watered-down privacy protections will damage Namibia’s press freedom standing Just after 9 am on 3 May 2023 the Namibian presidency issued a statement to mark the country’s retaking of first position on the African continent on the 2023 World Press Freedom Index. Pride dripped from a World Press […]
Parliament In The Budget
The legislature’s direct share from the budget has increased significantly but are Namibian taxpayers getting value for their money?
Changes To Electoral Law Looming
Throughout 2022, electoral authorities gathered comments and inputs from stakeholders with a view to parliament amending the Electoral Act of 2014 before the 2024 national elections.
Political Parties Failing To Account For Funds
As the 2023/24 national budget is tabled in the National Assembly, many of the political parties in parliament are failing to lawfully and properly account for their finances.
Concerns Rising Over MPs’ Asset Registers
The failure of many MPs to declare their interests and assets in a timely and comprehensive manner continues to cast a pall over parliamentary proceedings.
Thinking About Data Protection
A draft data protection bill has been made public and it is clear that it requires a lot more work before it should be tabled in parliament. This Perspectives on Parliament bulletin includes both IPPR and Legal Assistance Centre commentaries on the bill – which have been submitted to the Ministry of Information and Communication […]
Public Trust In Parliament In Decline
Public perceptions of the Namibian Parliament continue to trend towards the negative – reflecting a broader decline in trust in political and government institutions over the years.
Data Protection Bill: Not Fit For Purpose
This review of the proposed Data Protection Bill for Namibia argues that the draft law requires further development to ensure that it meets the requirements of a contemporary data protection framework. The sections on the independence of the Supervisory Authority need to be reconsidered and substantially redrafted, and sections concerning offences, penalties, and administrative penalties […]
Civil Society Sustainability Index – Namibia
This short paper was prepared by the IPPR for the CSO Sustainability Index (2021) – covering issues facing Namibian civil society across seven dimensions: Legal Environment, Organisational Capacity, Financial Viability, Advocacy, Service Provision, Sectoral Infrastructure, and Public Image. The report is based on the comments and scores of a panel of civil society experts combined […]
