Hardap Hosts Regional Consultations on Outcome-Based Budgeting Rollout
Regional stakeholders in the Hardap and ǁKharas regions are being brought into discussions on Namibia’s transition towards Outcome-Based Budgeting (OBB), as government moves to strengthen the link between public spending, development priorities and measurable results.
The Hardap Regional Council Chambers in Mariental is hosting regional consultations focused on the implementation of OBB at sub-national level.
The engagement is jointly convened by the Ministry of Finance, the National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, with technical support from GIZ Namibia.
The consultation brings together a broad range of regional and local government stakeholders, including the Governors of Hardap and ǁKharas, regional councillors, Regional Council management, local authority councillors, as well as chief executive officers of towns and village councils.
The discussions are aimed at ensuring that stakeholders at regional and local level understand the principles of OBB and are adequately prepared to participate in its implementation.
Unlike conventional budgeting, which can place significant emphasis on how much government departments and institutions spend, Outcome-Based Budgeting places greater emphasis on what is achieved with public resources.
The approach seeks to strengthen accountability by linking budget allocations to clearly defined outputs and outcomes.
Namibia has been progressively rolling out OBB as part of broader public-sector budget reforms.
The reform is intended to improve the effectiveness of government expenditure and ensure that public funds contribute more directly to improved services and development outcomes.
For regional and local authorities, the consultations provide an opportunity to consider how planning, budgeting and implementation can be better aligned with the needs of communities.
Participants are expected to share their experiences and provide input on the practical challenges that may arise when OBB is implemented at sub-national level.
Their contributions will also assist in identifying priorities and measures required to make the new budgeting approach workable across regions and local authorities.
A key focus of the engagement is Namibia’s preparations for the 2027/28–2029/30 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) cycle.
The MTEF provides a multi-year framework for linking government policy priorities with available financial resources.
The consultations therefore come at an important stage in the country’s efforts to improve public financial management and strengthen the relationship between planning and budgeting.
The involvement of regional councils and local authorities is particularly significant because many government services and development interventions are ultimately experienced at community level.
Effective implementation of OBB at this level could help improve the identification of priorities, allocation of resources and monitoring of results.
The Mariental consultation is consequently serving not only as an information-sharing platform but also as a forum for stakeholders to contribute to the development of practical approaches for implementing the reform.
The process reflects government’s wider effort to improve value for money in public expenditure and strengthen performance-based management across the public sector.
The Ministry of Finance and National Planning Commission have been central to the national OBB rollout, with government previously indicating that the reform would be expanded beyond its initial participating institutions.
As the consultations continue, stakeholders are expected to work towards a common understanding of their respective responsibilities and agree on practical steps and priorities that can support a smooth transition to the new budgeting framework.
The outcome of the regional engagements is expected to contribute to preparations for the next MTEF cycle and, ultimately, to a budgeting system that places stronger emphasis on results, accountability and the delivery of services to communities.
