Namibia parliament halts recruitment for information commissioner

Namibia's Access to Information Act keeps sitting in limbo because parliament just froze the hiring process for its key enforcer.

Information Commissioner recruitment halted

• Parliament abruptly suspended hiring for the commissioner and deputy roles.
• A newspaper notice on Wednesday confirmed the freeze.
• Neither the National Assembly nor the ICT Ministry explained why.
• The Access to Information Act created this commissioner position.

Why this matters for transparency

• Namibia gazetted the Act in 2022, but full implementation stalled.
• No dedicated commissioner means the law lacks its enforcer.
• Promoting and protecting information-access rights is the role's mandate.
• Parliament had only recently advertised the vacancy.

Salary and stalled momentum

• The incoming commissioner was set to earn N$1.4 million annually.
• Recruitment suspension deepens an already lengthy delay.