Legislative oversight and economic governance in Namibia: An evaluation of the role of parliament in the budget process

Abstract

The research focused on legislative oversight and economic governance in Namibia by evaluating the role

of Parliament in the budget process, namely consultations, formulation, debate and approval,

implementation and auditing and assessment. The research therefore examined the work of Parliament and

its Standing Committees in the budget process and established the problems that were being encountered in

particular since 1995 when Parliament adopted a report on the report on the Agenda for Change was

adopted which made several recommendations on the reforms that Parliament needed to undertake in order

to become more effective. The research looked at the internal and external factors that affected

Parliament’s role in the budget process. Thus specific questions related to the role of Parliament in the

budget process were answered. These were related to whether Parliamentarians have the relevant skills,

capacity and necessary support services to enable them to play an important role in the budget process;

whether the Ministry of Finance and other Government Ministries and Departments were providing

Parliament and its Standing Committees with comprehensive, accurate, appropriate and timely information

on budget related issues and whether the legal framework in Namibia adequately empowered and

facilitated Parliament to exercise oversight in the budget process.