Information commissioner to be appointed in 3 months

An information commissioner and his or her deputy are expected to be appointed in Namibia by the end of June.

Speaking to Desert Radio on Wednesday, deputy minister of information and communication technology Modestus Amutse said the envisioned information commission should be occupied by a head and a deputy.

“By June, ideally, we should have an information commissioner, but the parliament will also go into recess in May,” he said.

Amutse told Desert Radio that regulations for the appointment of the commissioner and his or her deputy must be gazetted through the parliament between Wednesday and Thursday.

Once this is done, the office of the parliament’s secretary will set up a committee to recommend candidates.

Amutse said the appointment process should take about 21 days after this committee has been set up.

According to law, the select committee would comprise the chairperson of the Public Service Commission, the executive director of information and communication technology, the chief executive of the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia, as well as other nominated members.

Amutse said there are still several processes to follow before a commissioner and his or her deputy are appointed.

“Selection should be open to the public to follow,” he said.

In her budget motivation speech, information minister Emma Theofulus said the Access to Information Act would be implemented this financial year.

“An amount of N$19 930 744 will be allocated for the operationalisation of the information commission,” she said.