Govt assets agency legitimacy challenged

The government’s decision to establish the Public Assets Management Agency (Pama) as a profit-oriented entity before dedicated legislation governing public assets has been enacted has raised governance and legal concerns.

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) shadow minister of works and transport Nelson Kalangula says while extracting commercial value from underused government properties may be sound in principle, the use of interim structures and administrative workarounds raises serious concerns.

“State properties belong to the public, and their management cannot be handed over to a commercially driven entity without full parliamentary scrutiny and explicit legislative boundaries,” Kalangula says.

He also criticises the appointment of temporary and interim boards at Pama and the Namibia Airports Company (NAC), saying short-term appointments could undermine corporate governance, institutional stability and board independence.

Kalangula says six-month interim boards could bypass principles and procedures under the Public Enterprises Governance Act, while making it difficult for boards to provide long-term strategic oversight.