President Calls for “Red Carpet” Efficiency at BIPA One Stop Centre
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President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has sent a clear message to regulators: service delivery must match Namibia’s investment ambitions. During an impromptu visit to the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) One Stop Centre in Windhoek, the President engaged directly with staff and management, stressing that the Centre must operate on the principles of efficiency, professionalism, and ethical service delivery. She emphasised the need for timely communication with investors and called for a genuine “red carpet treatment” for all clients, according to the Namibian Presidency.
For CIBA members, this intervention speaks directly to the daily realities accountants face when navigating regulatory systems on behalf of clients.
The One Stop Centre
The One Stop Centre was designed to reduce friction, not relocate it. When it functions properly, it should:
Shorten turnaround times
Reduce repetitive compliance follow-ups
Improve certainty for investors and SMEs
Lower professional time spent on administrative escalation.
When it does not, accountants absorb the cost, in time, reputational risk, and client frustration. The President’s focus on ethical service delivery is particularly significant. Ethical systems are not just about behaviour; they are about clear processes, predictable outcomes, and transparent communication. Where these are absent, discretion increases, and so does risk.
Private sector partnership: more than a talking point
The Presidency also highlighted the private sector as a critical partner in stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and building long-term, sustainable wealth. This framing matters. Accountants sit at the intersection of policy and practice. When regulators acknowledge the private sector as a partner rather than a compliance problem, it creates space for:
Smarter regulation
Proportionate enforcement
Advisory-driven compliance rather than punitive correction.
For CIBA members, this is the difference between helping clients grow and merely helping them survive.
One Stop Centre: Intent vs Execution
Launched last year as part of Government’s broader effort to strengthen Namibia’s investment climate, the One Stop Centre was established to:
Streamline and centralise key investor services
Reduce administrative bottlenecks
Improve efficiency and transparency
Create a more predictable, investor-friendly environment for local and international businesses.
These objectives align with sound economic policy. However, centralisation without system reform simply concentrates inefficiency. For professionals, the benchmark is practical:
Does the One Stop Centre reduce compliance effort, or add another layer to manage?
What professionals should watch next
Following the President’s visit, CIBA members should monitor four concrete developments:
Service standards and turnaround times
Will BIPA implement measurable performance benchmarks with accountability?
Communication quality
Will clients receive proactive updates, or continue chasing responses?
Digital enablement
Efficiency at scale requires integrated, end-to-end digital systems, not counters and queues.
Consistency and fairness
Ethical service delivery means rules apply equally, without informal escalation.
The bigger picture: ease of doing business is a professional risk issue
CIBA’s policy position is clear: regulation must deliver results, not friction. When systems fail, accountants become unpaid system stabilisers, protecting clients from uncertainty while carrying the reputational fallout.
The President’s intervention signals recognition at the highest level that ease of doing business is not achieved through structures alone, but through execution. For now, the key question remains:
Will the “red carpet” promise translate into real operational reform, or remain a slogan?
Article Source: Informante
