Namibia Needs Me Project held a civic education dialogue with students from the University of Namibia (UNAM) Rundu Campus on strengthening democratic participation here on Tuesday.

The project is implemented by the Namibia Institute of Democracy and the Hanns Seidel Foundation and is funded by the European Union.

Speaking at the event, Senior Project Officer of Namibia Needs Me, Naita Hishoono, said the project encourages citizens to get involved in the country’s democratic institutions such as the National Assembly etc.

As Namibia is preparing for its Presidential and National Assembly elections, set for late November, citizens will have to understand where in the electoral cycle they will be involved, she said.

Hishoono urged Namibians to get themselves registered for the upcoming elections and to make sure they read the various political parties’ manifestos to keep leaders accountable once elected.

‘Citizens should vote for political parties understanding what these parties can do for them. Thus the N
amibia Needs Me Project is about informing citizens about their rights, their responsibilities and how they can involve themselves in political processes in the country,’ she said.

Hishoono said during these dialogues they are explaining who the institutions are, the procedures as well as the processes.

‘We are informing citizens to strengthen their relationship with their leaders and decision-makers. So that in the end we have informed and conscious citizens who know what their rights are,’ she noted.

As target groups a central focus of the project is the youth demographic, she said, adding that senior secondary school learners from various schools across the country will partake in civic education training sessions as well as University students who will also engage in dialogues providing them with a platform to raise their voices.

Commissioner of the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) and English Lecturer at the UNAM Rundu Campus, Dr Gerson Sindano, while applauding the project for its work, said: ‘
This is the best way to capture young people’s imagination for them to have the will to take part in elections.’

This, he noted should be the work of every member of society to participate in promoting civic education.

Sindano said voter participation in the past years during polls has gone down however with more civic education this trend could change this year.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency