The Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Economy in the National Council has called for the immediate reintegration of the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA) into the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energy, citing accountability failures and weak oversight.
The recommendation follows oversight visits to several NIDA-managed projects in the //Kharas, Otjozondjupa, Zambezi, Kavango West, and Oshana regions.
During the visits, the committee identified a series of financial and operational shortcomings, including governance challenges and inefficiencies affecting key projects.
The committee criticised the current dual oversight structure governing NIDA, stating it has contributed to lapses in supervision.
“NIDA should have only one supervisory body, to cease having dual supervisory bodies to ensure proper supervision and accountability,” the committee said in its report.
The lawmakers further urged the ministry to appoint regional officials at both the Naute Irrigation Project and the Kavango Cattle Ranch (KCR) as signatories on the accounts of the respective farms to strengthen local control.
“Six Section Managers should be appointed at KCR and each Section Manager to be responsible for his or her Section, rather than having one manager running the whole farm, which is not practical and impossible,” the committee stated.
Concerns were also raised about informal settlements at the KCR farm, where former workers and community members have settled.
The committee recommended the development of a policy to manage this issue and avoid the farm’s gradual transformation into a residential area.
NIDA recorded operating losses of N$102 million in the 2024 financial year, according to its latest annual report.
Established in 2018, NIDA is tasked with driving Namibia’s industrialisation agenda in line with national strategies such as the Growth at Home Strategy, the Harambee Prosperity Plan, and the Fifth National Development Plan.
