Justicia Shipena
The government withdrew its participation from the Disability Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Conference shortly before it was due to begin in Windhoek.
A conference on disability and inclusion failed to take place after the government withdrew its participation. The conference was cancelled shortly before it was due to begin in Windhoek.
The Disability Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Conference, organised by the Intelligence Transfer Centre, was set to start on Wednesday but was postponed hours before opening.
A directive from the Office of the Prime Minister dated 17 April 2026, seen by the Windhoek Observer on Tuesday night, instructed all offices, ministries and agencies, state-owned enterprises and government entities not to attend in any official capacity.
Prime minister Elijah Ngurare, through his special advisor Asser Ntinda, also barred spending on registration fees, travel, accommodation and allowances.
Ntinda warned that failure to comply would lead to disciplinary action.
“All OMAs, government entities and SOEs are hereby directed NOT to attend the aforementioned conference in any official capacity.”
Organisers of the conference said they only became aware of the directive shortly before the event.
“We only found out on Monday evening that this is what’s happening within the Office of the Prime Minister,” said Intelligence Transfer Centre managing director Navin Ramjattan.
He said the event had already been arranged, with venues, flights and accommodation booked and speakers confirmed.
Ramjattan said the company has hosted similar events in South Africa and moved to Namibia.
“We noticed that Namibia had new disability laws and amendments, and we decided to approach the market and government to host this project here,” he said.
He said delegates were required to pay, with fees of about N$8 000 for corporate and government participants and about N$3 000 for NGOs and universities.
“We just charge a registration fee like any conference. We did not request any funding or sponsorship from the government,” he said.
Ramjattan said some disability groups were sponsored to attend and speakers were not charged.
“We decided that we’re not going to go against the laws. We will reschedule the programme until we engage with the Office of the Prime Minister and understand their concerns,” he said.
Ramjattan added that the company has contacted the prime minister’s office and is waiting for a response.
“This is quite a shock to us because we have worked in Namibia before with government and corporates. We don’t understand what went wrong,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Office of the Prime Minister said officials were not banned from attending but were told not to use public funds.
“There is no restriction for government officials. Anyone who wants to attend can do so,” chief public relations officer in the Office of the Prime Minister, Rhingo Mutambo, told the Windhoek Observer.
“We are saying those who attend should not be doing so on the account of government. They should not be using government funds to pay for conferences. It is a cost-cutting measure. We want to reduce the practice where officials attend conferences and use government funds unnecessarily,” Mutambo said.
He said whoever wants to attend can do so with their own money and not with government money.
Government officials, including vice president Lucia Witbooi, were listed as speakers.
The chairperson of the National Federation for Persons with Disabilities in Namibia, Matheus Hashoongo, said the idea of the conference was supported but raised concerns about costs and coordination.
“We are supporting the idea. We love the conference and the concept, but the way it was coordinated raised serious concerns,” he said.
“We are worried as the organisation of persons with disabilities. You are inviting people to be enlightened by experts, but at the same time asking them to pay such high amounts,” he said.
He said local organisations were not fully involved.
“There was no proper involvement of local organisations. That is very worrisome,” he said.
Hashoongo said the event raised concerns about value and local participation.
He said the conference was still important.
“We are very hungry for this type of conference. It is important to have those discussions and bring decision-makers into one room,” he said.
He supported the directive.
“I believe the decision was to protect the integrity of the process and the resources of Namibians,” he said.
Hashoongo said future events should involve local stakeholders and follow national rules.
“It should be done in respect of the law, coordinated locally and be inclusive of Namibian organisations,” he said.
