NAMIBIA SUMMARY Institution Website Request for information Total score 1. Communication Regulatory Association of Namibia 16 5 21 2. Ministry of Justice 14 15 29 3. Ministry of Health and Social Services 15 17 32 4. National Assembly 13 20 33 5. 9 2 11 Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources 6. Road Fund Administration 14 4 18 7. 15 15 30 13 9 22 NamPower 8. Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relation and Employment Creation RESEARCH CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS There is definite improvement in the performance of public institutions concerning the provision of access to information to citizens. This is evident in the quality and efficiency of their websites and the level of their social media interaction, even though there is very little two-way communication. The improvement is most notable in their responses to requests for information. Government must continue its drive to build the capacity of its institutions to best serve the public’s right to know as it is having a positive impact. For the first time since the start of this study, only one public institution ignored our request for information. That is this year’s Golden Padlock recipient, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. THE MOST SECRETIVE PUBLIC INSTITUTION IN NAMIBIA The Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources receives the 2018 Golden Padlock Award. Even though they have a well-functioning website, not all sections are regularly updated. This was particularly concerning as this is the year during which new fishing rights applications were received. They also did not respond to our request for information and displayed no interest in doing so. We call upon stakeholders to continue playing their part in creating an environment that is responsive to the public’s human right to access information. Most importantly, we need a law that will enhance the right of access to information of the public, the media, civil society and academia. Civil society needs to step-up its advocacy and lobbying efforts so that the 2019 Transparency Assessment can finally tell the world that Namibia has an ATI law. THE MOST OPEN PUBLIC INSTITUTION IN NAMIBIA The National Assembly receives the 2018 Golden Key Award. It out-performed last year’s recipient, CRAN, with 12 points. Their website has relatively useful content and is updated regularly. The public relations officer at the National Assembly was helpful and friendly; he even called the researcher to ensure that the information provided was accurate and sufficient. 71