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 • • • 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 • • • • 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. 61