As the national broadcaster, the nbc holds the critical responsibility of ensuring balanced and impartial election coverage.
In light of this mandate, the Director General of the nbc, Stanley Similo, emphasised the importance of securing adequate funding and essential resources to uphold the integrity of this process and guarantee its success.
Similo further highlighted the importance of equipping the broadcaster's teams with comprehensive training ahead of the upcoming elections. With the rise of new technology and the rapid spread of false information, it is crucial that the team is well prepared to address these challenges.
Collaboration with the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), he said, is invaluable in providing guidance on how to effectively handle and counter misinformation during this period.
"We have submitted a budget to our line ministry into the treasury because elections are also expensive, and for nbc as well, from a resource perspective, there are elements of support that we believe will be forthcoming as well, so we are hoping most probably to receive something, and I'm really strategic in raising this because I would want when you are meeting with Tate Shiimi that you also express that the aspect of democracy has never been cheap; it has always been an expensive exercise, so if we want to live up to that, I think we need to be given all the resources that will make it easy for us to be able to make these things happen in a manner where people will be happy with all of us."
Similo commended the ECN for fostering open communication, noting that their office has been approachable and easy to engage with, which he said greatly facilitates collaboration in this election season.
The Chief Electoral and Referenda Officer, Petrus Shaama, commended the nbc for its crucial role in the recently concluded General Registration of Voters (GRV), noting its efforts in keeping the nation and eligible voters informed and educated.
He emphasised that nbc's support in strengthening the commission's communication strategy to voters was invaluable.
Shaama thus stated that to maintain this, the Commission is committed to providing nbc with the necessary resources, information, and support to facilitate accurate and professional reporting on elections.