Swakopmund: Public relations officers (PROs) from Offices, Ministries, and Agencies (OMAs) have been urged to improve the collection and reporting of government communication data to strengthen public access to information and meet national reporting requirements.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the call was made during a session on the Access to Information (ATI) Data Collection Tool held ahead of the Effective Communicators Conference, which runs in Swakopmund from 14 to 17 July. The tool, introduced by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), is used to track government communication activities across 15 indicators, including media statements, television reports, social media posts, public engagements, newsletters, radio interviews, and citizen feedback.

Deputy Director for Government Information Services in MICT, Elizabeth Amagola, highlighted that many institutions are carrying out communication activities but are failing to document and report them. She emphasized the importance of maintaining records, stating, "It's bad. It's like we are not giving information out there. We are doing it, but where are the records? We don't have them."

Amagola explained that the information collected is used to compile the national Access to Information Index under the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), with Cabinet expecting regular reports from government institutions. She commended the Office of the President for consistently submitting comprehensive quarterly reports, which demonstrate that the reporting process is manageable.

She further stressed the need to track public engagement statistics and social media analytics to measure the effectiveness of government communication. Amagola questioned, "People say we are giving information, but how do you want us to know how many people are receiving this information? We cannot say we are doing good if there are no records."

During the discussion, several PROs expressed concerns about difficulties in obtaining information from senior officials, saying communication practitioners are often excluded from official activities despite being expected to publicize them. An official from the Office of the Auditor-General noted that communication officers frequently have to source information from external platforms because some officials fail to provide updates after official trips and engagements.