Spotlighting Governance Challenges: Lessons from Namibia

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the process of engaging Namibian civil society organisations (CSOs) in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It details how the APRM Sensitisation Project in Namibia (ASPIN), supported by SAIIA and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), enabled CSOs to develop an evidence-based submission on 13 critical governance issues to influence the country's self-assessment process.

• Namibia joined the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) in January 2017, becoming the 37th state to join the voluntary self-assessment tool designed to promote good governance through National Programmes of Action (NPoA).
• Through the APRM Sensitisation Project in Namibia (ASPIN), a civil society working group developed a written submission focusing on 13 key governance issues, including education, youth unemployment, health, land, gender-based violence, environment, corporate governance, executive power, and access to information.
• The proactive engagement of Namibian CSOs accelerated the government's own APRM process, specifically speeding up the fielding of the APRM Advance Mission, which occurred on 10–11 September 2018.
• The project faced challenges due to a contracting civic space where critical CSOs were labeled 'unpatriotic' by the government, and the Namibian Non-Governmental Organisation Forum (NANGOF) suffered from funding and governance issues.
• The APRM experience led to the creation of Civic +264, a voluntary information hub and coordinating body managed by the IPPR, Namibia Media Trust, Namibia Institute for Democracy, Legal Assistance Centre, and Citizens for an Accountable and Transparent Society.
• The document identifies several lessons for CSOs in other countries, such as the importance of early familiarity with the APRM process, using the mechanism to strengthen CSO collaboration, and involving government stakeholders to build trust and avoid putting them on the defensive.

APA

GRUZD, S., & HOPWOOD, G. (2019). Spotlighting Governance Challenges: Lessons from Namibia. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PI-73-AGDP-gruzd-hopwood-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf

Chicago

GRUZD, STEVEN, and GRAHAM HOPWOOD. Spotlighting Governance Challenges: Lessons from Namibia. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PI-73-AGDP-gruzd-hopwood-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=GRUZD |first1=STEVEN |last2=HOPWOOD |first2=GRAHAM |title=Spotlighting Governance Challenges: Lessons from Namibia |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PI-73-AGDP-gruzd-hopwood-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gruzd2019spotlighting, author = {GRUZD, STEVEN and HOPWOOD, GRAHAM}, title = {{Spotlighting Governance Challenges: Lessons from Namibia}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PI-73-AGDP-gruzd-hopwood-FINAL-WEB_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }