The minister of Information and Communication Technology has highlighted the importance of access to information as a fundamental human right, which should be provided timely and accurately.

Dr Peya Mushelenga said this at the regional consultative meeting on the government communication strategy held at Oshakati.

"Be a proactive information disseminator because being proactive shows that you have nothing to hide; you are clearly saying what you know and what you have, and that is nothing but the truth, and effective information dissemination is important."

He also warned government officials who are media shy and dodge questions, saying they are depriving the public of information.

"But, we live in a country where people are media shy; at times, when journalists are calling upon those that are supposed to provide information, the phone goes unanswered, there are no follow-ups, and then proper information is not communicated. There is what we call the 'conspiracy of silence'; which is when someone does good and no one talks about it. I see many government programs going on, but then no one wants to talk about them." 

The MICT's Executive Director, Dr Audrin Mathe, says the government must communicate proactively and openly about its work to broad target groups.

"Transparency in our communication ensures that it's transparent, and everyone must get it at the same time. Openness means the way decisions are communicated must be open; we are not going to have conferences behind closed doors. Interactive means we know now that the use of social media pressures us to respond interactively when questions are posed." 

The objective of the government's communication strategy is to provide accurate, timely, and relevant information to the public about its policies, programs, and services.