Patience Makwele
Home affairs, immigration, safety and security Minister Lucia Iipumbu has called on the government to stop making citizens repeatedly prove their identity and carry the same certified documents between offices, saying digital transformation should make public services faster and less burdensome.
Iipumbu made the remarks on Monday at the official launch of Namibia’s National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) under the DigiNam initiative in Windhoek.
She said citizens should not have to repeatedly provide information the government already lawfully holds and can securely verify as Namibia moves to establish a trusted digital identity system.
“Digital transformation is not the digitisation of queues,” Iipumbu said.
She said digital transformation should remove unnecessary queues, repeated visits, delays and duplication rather than simply putting existing procedures on a computer.
“A citizen should not have to carry the same certified copies between various government offices, just for one service,” she said.
If one authorised government institution has already verified information, Iipumbu said, another should be able to securely verify it within the law and with appropriate safeguards.
She said this would require government institutions to move away from operating as “isolated digital islands” and adopt common standards and systems capable of securely exchanging information.
For citizens, she said, the benefit should be tangible.
According to Iipumbu, “a parent registering a birth, a young Namibian applying for an identity document, a citizen applying for a passport or a traveller using immigration services should face fewer document requirements and faster verification.”
The issue also has national security implications, Iipumbu said, warning that weak identification systems can create opportunities for identity theft, fraud, forged documents, compromised credentials and unlawful movement.
“Secure identity is therefore also a matter of public safety and national security,” she said.
The PKI is intended to provide the trust layer behind digital identities, electronic signatures and secure online transactions by allowing users and institutions to authenticate one another and verify electronic information.
Communication Regulatory of Namibia (CRAN) Chief executive officer Emilia Nghikembua stressed that electronic identities alone would not constitute digital transformation.
“E-IDs are not digital transformation,” she said, arguing that their value would come from the services built around them.
She said electronic identities could eventually be used for banking, healthcare, licensing, payments, procurement and other government services, allowing citizens to authenticate themselves without repeatedly producing physical documents.
“The National Root Certification Authority is already technically live following a key-signing ceremony held on Friday,” Nghikembua said.
The authority, operated by CRAN, sits at the top of Namibia’s digital trust chain and oversees accredited certification service providers.
Nghikembua said the next challenge was adoption, with banks, telecommunications companies, government institutions and other sectors expected to develop practical uses for the infrastructure.
Information and communication technology (MICT) minister Emma Theofelus echoed the call for institutions to connect their systems, warning that Namibia’s digital ambitions would fail if organisations continued working separately.
“The way we collect our taxes, the way we issue documentation, the way we give our services all depend on all of us coming together and making those systems interoperable,” Theofelus said.
She said MICT provided N$10.5 million during the previous financial year to support the establishment of the Root Certification Authority.
The legal framework for electronic signatures also took effect on 15 June 2026, when Section 20 and Chapter 5 of the Electronic Transactions Act came into operation.
Nghikembua cautioned that not every electronically attached signature qualifies as a legally recognised electronic signature. The service provider must meet the required technical standards and be accredited by CRAN.
CRAN Board chairperson Elvis Nashilongo said the expanded digital-trust mandate would require adequate resources, specialised skills, public education and sustained investment.
He illustrated the potential impact through a young entrepreneur in Katima Mulilo who wins an opportunity to supply a client in Windhoek.
Instead of printing documents, travelling long distances, standing in queues and waiting for signatures and verification, Nashilongo said, she could verify her identity, sign an agreement electronically and submit documents securely from her community.
“For her, digital trust is not an abstract concept. It is time saved, money preserved, opportunity unlocked, and dignity affirmed,” he said.
But the transition will also have to account for Namibians who cannot easily access digital services.
Iipumbu said digital-first must not become digital-only, with rural residents, elderly citizens, people with limited connectivity and those requiring assistance continuing to need alternative channels.
The ultimate test, she said, is whether citizens spend less time in queues, businesses transact with greater certainty and people can use digital services safely and confidently.
“The launch is not our destination,” Iipumbu said.
