Windhoek - Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi has reiterated the need for close collaboration between Parliament and the Ministry of information and Communication Technology. Hon. Katjavivi made the appeal in a follow up meeting with the Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Hon. Emma Theofelus today (27/01/21).

The two initially met each other towards the end of last year and devised ways in which the two institutions could work together. With the COVID 19 pandemic having disrupted the activities of the legislature such as outreach programmes, a consensus was reached then for parliament to rope in the services of the ministry’s regional offices that are replete with ICT equipment. They further agreed that multi-purpose community centres, that are also equipped with ICT equipment and found in remote areas, could be used as a transmission belt for information sharing. In today’s meeting, the Speaker stressed the need for government owned media to work closely with parliament to disseminate its programmes and activities.

“We would like to beef up our information sharing relating to the work of parliament and committees work in particular, and also other activities such as the opening of parliament. A weekly space in government owned publications and a TV channel would be ideal for us”, appealed Katjavivi.

The Speaker noted that parliament has continued to pursue its mission of transforming the legislative body into a paperless institution, colloquially referred to as e-parliament. He said the Chinese government has already assisted in revamping the conference hall that only requires to be linked to other committee rooms virtually. He further revealed that the World Bank has agreed in principle to embark on the latter project of virtually connecting committee rooms, that would see the legislature become fully ICT compliant.

Windhoek - Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi has expressed the need for the two countries of Namibia and Venezuela to strengthen their bilateral relations. Hon. Katjavivi mentioned this to the Venezuelan Ambassador to Namibia, H.E. Omar Berroterán Paredes who paid him a courtesy call today (05/02/2021).

The Speaker stated that given the two countries’ historical bond it was imperative, especially during the current Covid 19 pandemic, for the two countries to reinforce the cordial relationship at various levels of cooperation in order to discuss issues of mutual interest. “There is a need to reassess our bilateral relations to look at the future, post COVID. We could also cooperate at the level of parliament”, noted Katjavivi.

H.E. Berroterán Paredes expressed the same sentiments adding that Venezuela has been contemplating creating a parliamentary friendship group with the Namibian Parliament. He further revealed that efforts for cultural exchanges between the two countries are already bearing fruits as Venezuela has accepted a request to support the youth orchestra of Namibia with further training. The latter initiative culminated from talks between Speaker Katjavivi and the Venezuela Foreign Minister, Hon. Jorge Arreaza who visited Namibia in 2019.

Windhoek - Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Prof. Peter Katjavivi has reiterated the importance of technology in the work of the legislature particularly now that the COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted its normal activities. Hon. Katjavivi said this today (04/02/2021) when he met the newly appointed Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Resident Representative, Natalie Russman at parliament.

KAS has been supporting Parliament in some of its e-parliament initiatives such as the transformation of the parliament website. The development partner is further engaged in facilitating the training of parliament research staff among other support programmes. According to the Speaker, these types of initiatives would boost the activities of parliament, that opens its business virtually next week Tuesday. He further noted that there is a need for broadening the cooperation to include the training of members of parliament on the usage of ICT tools and infrastructure necessary to fully realise the goal of a paperless parliament. This, he says would help the legislative body fulfill its mandate of lawmaking and oversight.

Russman who acknowledged the continuous good partnership that exist between the two bodies, promised to continue to assist parliament in any way possible. She noted that the organization will further carry on with its facilitation role of linking the Namibian Parliament with the German Bundestag for exchange of expertise.

Windhoek - H.E. President Hage Geingob officially opened the 3rd session of the 7th Parliament today (09/02/2021). The Head of state opened the event virtually for the first time. It coincided with the 31st anniversary of the adoption of Namibia’s constitution which came into force on 21 March 1990 when Namibia became independent.

Speaking during the opening, the head of state urged for resilience and innovation in overcoming the negative impact of the COVID 19 pandemic. “I have christened this year as the year of resilience. Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity. We have to display resilience in overcoming the daunting task that face us, that of reviving our economic fortunes and steering Namibia back towards the path of prosperity. Resilience means rising above the challenges of COVID 19 in order to deliver the mandate bestowed to us by the people of Namibia”, said President Geingob.

President Geingob further lauded parliament for moving towards digitilisation, he said would enhance the work of the legislature particularly that the COVID 19 pandemic has transformed the work environment. “One positive aspect that has emerged from the COVID 19 pandemic is the adoption of information technology. To learn that our members, will, in the future, have ability to remotely log-in to partake in parliament sessions is a positive sign that infusion of technological systems into the workplace is taking place at the highest level”, said the President.

The President is further concerned with the upsurge in cases of gender based violence, he says are derailing efforts being made by government to guarantee the safety of all citizens. He therefore implored lawmakers to enact laws that would vehemently deter these crimes. “A nation that cannot guarantee the safety of its women and children, is a nation, which can never ascend to the lofty heights of prosperity. Crimes that are aimed at women and children have become persistent in our society and this cannot be tolerated. I therefore implore you, as lawmakers to ensure that we create a legal environment, which exacts maximum punishment on the perpetrators of these deplorable crimes so that we can rid our society of this scourge”, urged Geingob.