The need to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in public service delivery took centre stage during this year's Africa Public Service Day celebration held at Swakopmund.
The commemoration was held under the theme "Enhancing Public Service Institutions and Empowering Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships to Achieve Universal Water Availability and Safe Sanitation by 2026".
Acting Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Michael Mutonga, says Namibia's public service must continue embracing digital transformation to improve efficiency, accessibility, and transparency in government service delivery.
Mutonga says the country's digitalisation programme is an ongoing journey aimed at modernising government institutions and bringing services closer to people.
He expressed his vision of a future where citizens can access all government services through a single digital platform, eliminating long queues, unnecessary travel, and bureaucratic delays.
"It is my dream that one day and not in the far distant future we will witness a single-stop window for public service delivery across our beautiful conjuring, where every service could be done at the tip of our fingers. It is my dream and my desire that every service not be in the future but be taken to the people and not the other way around. We have seen people running, running after services, and it's not fair."
Mutonga says emerging technologies, including AI, can further strengthen public service delivery by enabling faster decision-making, smart use of data, and more responsive government institutions.
He added that digital platforms create transparent systems with auditable records, reducing opportunities for malpractice while improving accountability.
According to Mutonga, digital governance helps governments deploy skills more effectively, monitor performance accurately, and improve planning across the public sector.
"That's why we are public servants. Well, we built this infrastructure brick by brick. We are boldly stepping into the digital e-governance future with rewards on the horizon, screaming the results, and, among others, radiant transparency; digital processes, leaf, clean and clear; audited footprints; and champions of honesty and wiping out the role for malpractice. The second one is boundless accessibility; everyone from rural to urban areas will be able to connect with government services. Instantly, without travelling long distances, smart data successes and real-time digital data empower us to spot skills and deployed talents efficiently."
Mutonga further stresses that investing in digital literacy among public servants remains critical to ensuring Namibia's working workforce is equipped to harness AI and other digital innovation to deliver faster, more reliable, and citizen-centred services.