Windhoek: Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, announced in the National Assembly that the ministry will proceed with consolidating the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) and New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC) into a single entity, following instructions from the Cabinet.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Theofelus made this announcement while presenting the ministry’s budget of N.dollars 898,455,000. The budget allocates N.dollars 361,853,000 for the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, N.dollars 27,706,000 for Nampa, and N.dollars 27,500,000 for New Era.
Theofelus also mentioned that N.dollars 40 million will be allocated to the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia for the development of Radio Access Network sites through the Universal Service Fund. This consolidation plan for NAMPA and New Era was initially approved by the Cabinet in 2021.
The ministry has allocated N.dollars 82,084,000 to its Coordination and Support programme and N.dollars 79 million for the construction of regional offices. Additionally, the construction of the MICT Head office will commence with an allocation of N.dollars 51 million.
The Information and Communication Technology Development programme has been budgeted N.dollars 16,988,000 to support the development and implementation of ICT policies and infrastructure. The programme aims to bridge the digital divide through remote Rural Information and Communication Technology Centres. Theofelus highlighted that by the 2025/26 financial year, the ministry anticipates the full operationalisation of the Electronic Transactions Act, Act number 4 of 2019, with the establishment of the Online Consumer Affairs Committee.
Furthermore, the ministry plans to implement secure and accredited e-Signatures, facilitating digital validation of documents across both government and the private sector, thereby reducing dependence on manual processes and handwritten signatures.
The MICT Audio-Visual Media and Regional Offices have been allocated N.dollars 81,913,000 to provide a variety of multi-media products and services. Theofelus emphasized efforts to promote Namibia as an international film destination while fostering the local film industry.