NAMIBIA

RATIONALE AND RESEARCH
PARAMETERS
The consistent work of stakeholder groups towards the
realisation of a Namibian society in which citizens can fully
enjoy their right to access information is paying off. Public
officials are more engaging, friendly and responsive to public
requests for information, and all surveyed institutions have
websites and social media accounts.
The research was conducted from 26 July to 17 August
2018. Institutions were given 21 days to respond to requests
for information. Eight institutions were studied, including
the Golden Padlock and Golden Key recipients of 2017. The
research included the study of their responses to requests
for information and evaluated websites and social media
platforms, in particular Facebook and Twitter.
The objective of the study was to measure the openness as
well as the difficulties faced by public institutions in providing
information to the public. The study looked at whether the
sampled offices made available the information without
questioning the intentions of those requesting it.
The following public institutions were surveyed:
1. Communications Regulatory Association of Namibia (CRAN)
2. Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
3. Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS)
4. National Assembly (NA)
5. Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR)
6. Road Fund Administration (RFA)
7. NamPower
8. Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment
Creation (MLIREC)

SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS
Category 1: Website analysis
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Most websites were updated, well-maintained and
user-friendly.
Most institutions have active social media accounts.
Most institutions and their followers are not very
interactive, there is limited two-way communication.

Category 2: Requests for information
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Most institutions displayed openness in allowing
access to public information.
Most institutions were helpful and transparent.
Most institutions acknowledged the receipt of the
request for information. There were quite a number
of same-day responses.
The NA called the researcher to ensure their
response was received and was sufficient.

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