Article

Namibia has dismantled its Payroll Deduction Management System, affecting over 100,000 civil servants, and replaced it with a manual helpdesk reliant on mobile phones. This abrupt shift, announced without stakeholder consultation, is expected to slow processing times and increase costs, raising concerns about access to credit for low-income workers. The move undermines Namibia's ambitions to become an ICT powerhouse by 2030 and raises questions about the future of its digital strategy following the replacement of the Executive Director at the Ministry of Finance.