Namibia Institute for Democracy

Namibia Institute of Democracy, in collaboration wih the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the United Nationas Development Program, launched its 3rd  "Spot the Difference" publication. The publication gives Namibian voters an opportunity to compare the different political parties taking part in the upcoming presidential and National Assembly elections and to find out which party represents their interests.

The full publication can be downloaded here:

Spot The Difference 3rd Edition Full Publication

The complete political party interviews, that served as a basis for the publication, can be downloaded here:

Voters apathy remains a growing concern amongst young people in Namibia. Statistics from the Electoral Commission of Namibia indicate that in the 2014 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, the youth vote constituted 45% of the votes cast.This is despite the fact that the youth constitutes 65% of Namibia's registered voters.

Namibia Institute for Democracy, in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation, College of the Arts and Namibia Community Broadcasters Network, recently hosted a public discussion forum to examine the reasons why many young people are not interested in elections. The guest speakers for this discussion were political experts Mr. Job Amupanda and Mr. Sibusisso Moyo.

NID recently conducted a Civil Society Support Program (CSSP) for local non-governmental organisations. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) often lack the institutional capacity to play a meaningful role in the development of Namibia's economy. This hampers CSOs' ability to meaningfully interact with various stakeholders and successfully implement projects.

The CSSP therefore aims to strengthen CSOs in Namibia by providing institutional and technical support. The program further aims to strengthen CSOs' interaction with government on all levels.

Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID), in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP), are hosting an I-Vote Namibia Campaign. The overall objective of the campaign is to provide the public with important information regarding the elections, as well as to encourage young people to participate in the upcoming elections.

The I-Vote Namibia Campaign will continue running throughout October and November 2019.

On the 5th of September 2019, Namibia Institute for Democracy visited Khorab Secondary School in Otavi to conduct a Civic Education Programme. The overall objective of the intervention was to teach learners about their role, rights and responsibilities as citizens. The programme further aimed to educate the youth about Namibia's governance process and structures.

The initiative was well received by learners and teachers!

The learners were taught about democracy, the Namibian Constitution, three branches of government and human rights through fun, practical group activities. The workshop, which took place on the 3rd and 4th of September 2019, was attended by students in Grades 5, 6 and 7.

Namibia Institute for Democracy was recently invited to be part of a panel discussion on NBC Talk of the Nation. 

As we gear towards the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, ECN and its stakeholders are conducting one of the most important pre-election events, voter's education. In every election, voter and civic education are necessary to ensure that all constituents, including first time voters, understand their rights, the political system, the contestants, as well as where and how to vote.