When i first arrived in Namibia in the early 2000s and lived there for almost 15 years, on and off, I experienced a country that functioned with enviable efficiency.
Services worked – both at municipal and national levels. There was minimal bureaucracy, paperwork was limited, and civil servants were proactive. Namibia stood out as a model of African governance to complement its near-perfect road network, telecommunications, and public infrastructure.
In fact, I first saw prepaid electricity tokens in Namibia – nearly a decade before Kenya adopted them. That level of innovation and delivery was ahead of its time.
But today, isolated corruption, inefficiencies and outdated manual processes have crept in. The recent announcement of a N$73.5-million allocation toward e-governance is commendable – but this must be more than a box-ticking exercise. Namibia needs a full digital transformation, not piecemeal upgrades.
A Manageable Population
Namibia’s population of just over three million is a golden opportunity. Unlike large economies, digitisation here is easier to scale, test and refine. A lean population allows for faster implementation, tailored feedback loops, and targeted digital literacy programmes.
Most adults and youth are already connected, with high mobile penetration across the country. The recent roll-out of MTC’s Maris payment integration platform is proof that the private sector is forging ahead. It’s now time for the public sector to catch up – by integrating services and allowing citizens to access government support and transactions through their phones, anytime, anywhere.
Airports, Borders Still Manual
It’s commendable that Namibia has started digitising some border posts and airports, but the experience remains largely manual. At Hosea Kutako International Airport, the country’s primary gateway, big jets like Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s – each carrying between 500 to 800 passengers – often land in the afternoon. Yet passengers are handed physical arrival forms, left searching for pens, and made to fill out documents while standing in long queues.
Immigration officers then interrogate travellers one at a time, expecting to clear the crowd in under 30 minutes. The result is delay, frustration, and a poor first impression for tourists and investors. The same inefficiencies exist at road border points – manual entries, redundant paperwork and long wait times.
Broken Business, Immigration Systems
These inefficiencies extend beyond ports of entry. At the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (Bipa), after tedious paperwork applications, company registrations can take up to three or even five months. In the digital age, that is unacceptable – especially when neighbouring countries can register a business in days.
Immigration services are equally cumbersome: repetitive documentation, unclear processes, and no streamlined online system. These issues discourage investment, burden residents, and reduce trust in government efficiency.
A Working African Model
Kenya – with a population of about 60 million – offers a compelling case for successful e-governance. Its eCitizen platform, developed through a public-private partnership, allows citizens access to over 5 000 services from their smartphones. Users upload documents, make payments, and receive confirmations – all without stepping into a government office.
Furthermore, Kenya’s eCitizen Centres across 47 counties merge physical and digital services to ensure no one is left behind. This hybrid system has improved efficiency, transparency and citizen satisfaction.
Namibia, with its smaller and more manageable population and infrastructure, can not only replicate this model, but perfect it.
Benchmark with Africa First
Namibia can of course draw lessons from Europe or Asia, but there is unmatched value in learning from fellow African countries. Kenya’s e-governance system was developed by Kenyans for Kenyans – amid challenges similar to Namibia’s: limited infrastructure, tight budgets and resistance to reform.
By partnering with Kenya, Namibia can skip costly mistakes and accelerate implementation. The Namibia-Kenya Chamber of Commerce stands ready to support such collaboration through joint delegations, matchmaking, knowledge sharing and pilot projects.
It’s time African nations backed each other’s innovations instead of importing one-size-fits-all solutions from elsewhere.
Leadership Must Drive Reform
For the new government of president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah to be impactful, digital transformation must be a cornerstone of its legacy. Prime minister Elijah Ngurare and information and communication technology minister Emma Theofelus now have a historic opportunity to lead Namibia into a bold new era of e-governance.
The N$73.5-million investment should go toward a national overhaul – from airports to immigration, Bipa to mobile payment systems. There is no excuse for a country this promising to remain stuck in outdated systems. Namibians deserve better.
– Elvis Mboya is the president of the Namibia-Kenya Chamber of Commerce and a former journalist in Namibia and Kenya.
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