WINDHOEK, May 20 — Lawmakers from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been urged to strengthen oversight of rising public debt and increasingly complex financing arrangements that pose growing risks to fiscal stability in the region.
Opening a regional training for Public Accounts Committees in the coastal city of Swakopmund on Wednesday, Namibia’s National Assembly Speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said parliaments must develop a stronger capacity to scrutinize debt sustainability, borrowing terms, and public financial risks.
She warned that public debt in the region has increased significantly, driven by development financing needs, pandemic-related spending, and, in some cases, weak fiscal management.
“What makes this more complex is that borrowing now involves central governments, state-owned enterprises, and development institutions operating with limited coordination,” she said.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila stressed that parliamentary oversight must extend beyond central government to capture the full fiscal risk landscape, including public enterprises and development finance institutions whose liabilities ultimately affect national budgets.
She urged lawmakers to expand scrutiny of public procurement, shifting focus from compliance with rules to assessing whether spending delivers measurable development outcomes such as job creation and enterprise growth.
Namibia is hosting the SADC Organization of Public Accounts Committees program, which brings together about 100 delegates from across the region to strengthen parliamentary oversight capacity through peer learning and institutional exchange. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
