The government has not yet approved the transfer of 56 Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA) properties valued at about N$277 million to the planned Public Asset Management Agency (PAMA), with the Ministry of Works and Transport saying the assets have only been identified for possible centralised management.
The 56 properties form part of NIDA’s broader portfolio of 104 properties and have been earmarked for consideration as government explores plans to centralise the management of non-public service delivery assets.
The Ministry stressed that the identification of the properties does not amount to approval for their transfer and that several legal, financial and administrative processes must first be completed.
“However, it is critical to emphasize that this identification or earmarking is an exploratory step and does not constitute a completed transfer. A rigorous and multi stage approval process is required before any transfer can take place,” the Ministry said.
The process will include verification of the properties and their titles, assessments of existing leases or encumbrances, updated valuations, legal compliance checks and approvals from relevant government authorities and governance structures.
“A final decision will only be made once all legal, financial, and administrative requirements have been satisfactorily met,” the Ministry said.
The clarification comes as government moves to establish PAMA to centralise and professionalise the management of selected state-owned properties, improve accountability, reduce duplication and extract greater economic value from public assets.
However, PAMA itself has not yet been fully established, with its legal and institutional framework still being finalised.
According to the Ministry, government is considering establishing the agency through specific enabling legislation, incorporation under the Companies Act or a combination of legal mechanisms.
The proposed transfer of NIDA properties could also require legislative changes because the NIDA Act of 2016 gives the agency statutory powers to hold, manage, develop and lease immovable property.
“The Government fully acknowledges that the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA) Act, 2016 (Act No. 16 of 2016) expressly grants NIDA the power to hold, manage, develop, lease, and deal with immovable property,” the Ministry said.
It said PAMA is not intended to override NIDA’s statutory mandate, with a legal review expected to determine whether amendments to the NIDA Act or other measures would be required before any properties can be transferred.
“The proposed involvement of PAMA is therefore not intended to undermine or override this statutory mandate. Rather, the objective is to achieve a more coordinated and professional approach to the management of selected public assets while ensuring that the respective statutory mandates of public institutions are respected,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry also said establishing PAMA would not automatically result in the displacement of employees currently involved in property management.
Staffing options under consideration include new recruitment, secondments and the rationalisation of existing capacity, depending on the final structure adopted for the agency.
PAMA could eventually manage assets held by other ministries, agencies and public enterprises. However, the Ministry said transfers would not be automatic, with individual assets assessed according to their purpose, statutory mandate, current use, commercial value and existing obligations.
Both the establishment of PAMA and any potential transfer of NIDA properties will be implemented in phases, with government declining to set a completion date until the required due diligence and legal, financial and administrative processes have been concluded.
