Advancing Government Effectiveness: A Message to Our New Leadership
Madam President, congratulations on your inauguration.
Your swearing-in as the first female president of the Republic of Namibia is a historic milestone.
It marks a significant step for the nation and reflects the growing strength of inclusive leadership in Namibia’s democracy.
You now hold the trust and hopes of the nation. The path ahead is steep, but clear.
People expect change they can feel – swiftly and tangibly.
Here’s a set of questions that deserve urgent attention:
• How many hours do Namibians spend in queues at government buildings each year?
• How long does it take to get an identity document, birth certificate or a business registered?
• How often do citizens leave government buildings without answers or timelines?
• How many public servants themselves are frustrated by processes they know are outdated?
These are not just questions of convenience. They speak to dignity, productivity and national confidence.
If a citizen waits three months for a key service, or sits an entire day at a clinic without being assisted, the state loses credibility.
Public trust erodes in silence – queue by queue, file by file.
EFFICIENCY AND EMPOWERMENT
The time has come to create a department of government efficiency, directly under your office.
Why your office? Because only you can cut across ministries.
Only you can demand urgency.
Efficiency is not a technical issue – it is a leadership issue.
This department would:
• Review and redesign key government processes.
• Identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and bottlenecks.
• Set service delivery targets and publish them.
• Use technology to automate simple, repetitive tasks.
• Ensure citizens can track service requests and receive status updates.
• Empower and incentivise civil servants to speak up and highlight inefficiencies.
PRACTICAL STEPS
• Set up a task force: Appoint a small, empowered team to audit 10 key services in the first 100 days.
• Launch a ‘Simplify Namibia’ campaign: Ask citizens and civil servants to submit ideas on what to cut or improve.
• Publish a ‘pain points’ report: Show the public where the worst inefficiencies are – and commit to fixing them.
• Launch a ‘serving with care’ campaign: Set up a national service delivery campaign in Namibia focused on behavioural change in customer-facing government entities, inspired by Rwanda’s Nk’uwikorera – “as you would wish to be served”.
The campaign should promote a culture of service that treats every citizen the way one would wish to be served.
It should challenge both providers and recipients to take responsibility for improving service quality – encouraging civil servants to meet public expectations and empowering citizens to report poor service.
Rooted in people-centred governance, this campaign could drive institutional accountability, boost public trust, and improve everyday interactions across all sectors.
The government should be agile on how to improve the way services are delivered to the public.
Long, rigid projects often lead to delays, wasted resources and outdated solutions.
Agility helps teams deliver value in smaller steps, test quickly and make adjustments based on feedback.
This approach reduces risk and ensures that services meet real needs.
LET’S GET SMART
Government should also set mini goals that follow the ‘SMART’ (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timebound) framework.
Clear, short-term targets keep teams aligned and accountable.
For example, instead of saying “improve digital access”, aim to “launch an online form for passport renewal within four weeks”.
These goals create momentum, show early wins and make it easier to track progress.
Digital transformation is critical. But it’s not just about software.
It’s about outcomes.
Estonia digitised most public services, and citizens spend an average of only three minutes renewing a passport.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government launched the Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme in 2023 with the aim of eliminating unnecessary administrative procedures and reducing the time, cost and effort required to access public services.
The programme sets a clear target: Cut 2 000 government procedures and reduce service processing time by 50% by 2024.
It focused on simplifying forms, removing redundant approvals and digitising services across ministries and agencies.
This approach supports faster decision-making, improves citizen satisfaction and aligns with the UAE’s vision of a streamlined, agile government.
These reforms are not luxury – they are a necessity. They contribute positively to enhancing trust in the government, breaking common perceptions and stereotypes.
‘LET’S GROW TOGETHER’
Madam president, this is your moment. If you want a legacy of real change, start by changing how the government works.
Make it faster. Make it simpler. Make it more human.
Appoint a small, focused team reporting to you, empowered to challenge assumptions, break silos and put citizens at the centre.
When a pensioner receives their grant on time, trust grows.
When a young entrepreneur registers a business in one day, hope grows.
When a patient at a rural clinic sees that her or his time is respected, morale grows.
This isn’t about cutting jobs or trimming budgets. It’s about unlocking growth and restoring trust in government.
Efficiency is not a luxury – it’s a basic requirement for a working state.
Every hour saved is a step forward. Every process improved is a promise kept.
Respectfully.
* Job Angula is a patriotic Namibian citizen.
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