The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts has ended the practice of providing advance questions to public institutions appearing before it, a move Subcommittee Chairperson Prof. Job Amupanda says is essential to restoring genuine oversight.

A backlog of 84 outstanding Auditor General reports is set to come under parliamentary scrutiny as the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts begins a five-day review workshop held at Swakopmund.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Budget and Finance says delays in the release of government funds are slowing the implementation of development projects in the Zambezi Region.

Finance Minister Erica Shafudah has announced that NamRA has been instructed to ensure that they improve on the processing of refunds, with the period for processing refunds having been reduced from 90 to 60 days.

The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) has revealed that it has detected 316 cases of fraudulent claims or forged documents over the past four years, worth a combined N$1 billion.

The government has committed to reducing the fiscal deficit from 5.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the 2026/27 financial year to 3.3% by 2028/29. 

The country's fiscal position is currently said to be weak with limited fiscal buffers, failing revenues and high spending needs. 

Namibia's fiscal position is said to be weak, with limited fiscal buffers, failing revenues and high spending needs. 

It is for this reason that the prime minister says the government has committed to reducing the fiscal deficit from 5.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2026/27 to 3.3% by 2028/29. 

Local authorities owe Namwater more than N$7.5 billion, with some diverting government funds meant for prepaid water meters to other uses, Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa revealed in the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has approved an amount of about N$12.9 billion to be allocated to the Ministry of Finance.

Members of Parliament shared their views and suggestions on the budget prior to the approval of the vote.

The Minister of Finance says the national budget is not merely a statement of numbers but an instrument of fiscal reform which advances disciplined consolidation anchored on primary budget balance.

The debate on the appropriation bill is now set to proceed to the committee stage.