Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has motivated a budget allocation for the National Assembly of close to N$400 million.

Of this, N$5 million is earmarked for development projects.

The National Assembly's activities have been structured under two main programmes.

Legislative Management, which receives over N$18 million, represents 5% of the operational budget; and the Policy Coordination and Support Services program, which is allocated more than N$374 million, accounts for 95% of the budget.

Under Parliamentary Coordination and Support Services, a total of N$53 million has been allocated, of which N$48 million is for operational costs and N$5 million for development expenditures, specifically materials, transport, utilities, and building maintenance.

Key operational allocations include Library and Information Services, which is allocated over N$22 million; Committee Services, over N$280 million; The Office of the Secretary, which is allocated over N$19 million; and the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition, over N$3 million, accounting for 1% of the total budget.

The Speaker also identified challenges that hamper the work of parliament, which will be addressed as a matter of priority.

"Staff shortages, which compromise the support to members of parliament in the execution of their duties. The increase in the number of Standing Committees from eight to twelve has put a further strain on the already limited research staff. This situation jeopardises the efficacy of parliamentary functions, including informed debates, legislative scrutiny, and policy development. The aged parliament building infrastructures result in high maintenance costs. Limited office space is compounded by the historical nature of the Parliament building."

The Speaker said that addressing these challenges would remain a priority in upcoming budget cycles to ensure that the National Assembly remains effective, efficient, and responsive.