WINDHOEK, Sept. 21– Namibia has called on parliaments to strengthen oversight of public finances as African countries face growing fiscal pressures, debt vulnerabilities, illicit financial flows and increasing demands for public services.
Speaking at the official opening of the ninth Annual Conference of the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices (AN-PBO) in the coastal town of Swakopmund on Monday, Namibia’s Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the gathering is taking place at a critical moment for the continent.
“We are grappling with global economic uncertainties, severe and compounding impacts of climate change, and mounting concerns over sovereign debt sustainability,” she said.
According to her, several parliamentary leaders across this network have noted that public debt can and should be a tool for economic growth and prosperity, “but when left unchecked, it becomes a heavy burden.”
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila emphasized that because parliaments control public spending, they have a duty to ensure all government borrowing, economic policies, and national budgets are managed transparently and in the public’s interest.
“To achieve this, we must actively champion increased citizen participation within our budget processes, ensure that our legislative actions directly protect and elevate the livelihoods of our people,” she said.
She reaffirmed the Namibian Parliament’s resolute commitment to the establishment of its own Parliamentary Budget Office. “We are still in the infant stages of this endeavor and would therefore rely on the support of our sister parliaments and the AN-PBO to realize this goal,” she said.
The five-day conference, themed “The Role of PBOs in Supporting their Legislatures’ Oversight Toward Realizing Africa’s Agenda 2063,” brought together over 60 delegates, including representatives of Parliamentary Budget Offices from across Africa, fiscal experts, and development partners. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
