Namibia’s Parliament has warned that weak regulation and a lack of accountability in artificial intelligence (AI) could pose serious risks to democracy and human life, amid the rapid expansion of digital technologies.
The warning was issued by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Phillipus Katamelo, who said parliaments around the world are developing national AI laws, but stressed that technology cannot be regulated effectively in isolation.
“Where there is power, there must also be accountability. You cannot allow systems to exercise power without putting safeguards in place,” Katamelo said.
He pointed to the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), describing it as a United Nations agency with 194 member states and more than 1,000 companies, universities and international and regional organisations involved in global digital transformation.
Katamelo said while the ITU plays a central role in facilitating international connectivity, spectrum allocation and technological interoperability, it lacks explicit provisions for ethical oversight.
“When you read further, its core mandate says to facilitate international connectivity in communication networks, allocate radio spectrum and satellite orbits, and ensure seamless technological connections. But there is nothing of ethical accountability within that statement,” he said.
He contrasted this with multilateral platforms such as the Commonwealth, which he said allow countries to share best practices and strengthen democratic institutions through collective frameworks.
Katamelo argued that global digital bodies should be held to similar accountability standards.
“For them to access power at an international level, they must also have safeguarding mechanisms that hold institutions accountable,” he said.
He warned that the absence of accountability in digital governance could undermine sustainable development and threaten democratic systems.
“If we don’t do that, we are losing sustainable digital transformation. Instead of enhancing our lives, it could endanger them. For short-term gains we are allowing this, but in the long term it becomes a serious threat to democracy itself and to human life in general,” Katamelo said.
He called on the ITU to expand its mandate to include moral and ethical responsibility alongside its technical functions.
“As a UN organisation, its principles should not only be technical. There is also a moral and ethical responsibility in maintaining digital transformation,” he said.
Katamelo delivered the remarks at the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth, held in New Delhi from 14 to 16 January 2026.
The comments come as Namibia currently lacks comprehensive, enacted AI-specific legislation. As of January 2026, governance of artificial intelligence relies on a recently launched National AI Strategy, draft legislation and related policy frameworks.
The National AI Strategy promotes ethical AI adoption across key sectors through a decentralised approach, while complementary legislation such as the Data Protection Bill addresses data privacy issues critical to AI systems.
A Draft AI Bill is under development to establish ethical standards and accountability mechanisms for AI deployment, alongside the Data Protection Bill of 2023 and the Cybercrime Bill, which aims to counter technology-enabled and AI-related threats.
