Namibia Advances Child Welfare Through Research Initiative

Namibia Advances Child Welfare Through Research Initiative. The Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Dr. Emma Kantema, has emphasized the importance of evidence-based policymaking in advancing child welfare during a high-level engagement with a delegation from the University of Namibia.

The meeting centered on the Child Research Initiative and Training (CRIT), a strategic program designed to position Namibia as a child‑centred, data‑driven hub for research and policy development. CRIT seeks to strengthen the integration of research, practice, and policy in addressing the complex needs of children and families across the country.

Providing an overview of the initiative, project lead Dr. Johanna Nashandi noted that while Namibia continues to generate routine administrative data on children, systemic limitations remain in consolidating and disseminating comprehensive datasets. She explained that the absence of accessible, integrated data frameworks constrains the ability to measure programme efficacy and inform responsive policy decisions.

Dr. Nashandi highlighted that CRIT aims to close these gaps by promoting rigorous multidisciplinary research, building institutional capacity, and fostering community-level engagement to ensure interventions are both evidence-based and contextually relevant.

In her remarks, Dr. Kantema called for the expedited finalisation of CRIT’s strategic plan, stressing that its completion is essential to unlock resource mobilisation opportunities and operationalise the programme. She further underscored the importance of sustained stakeholder engagement, noting that broad-based awareness and participation will be key to the initiative’s long-term success.

The engagement reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to strengthening child welfare through research-driven solutions, ensuring that policies are informed by reliable data and tailored to the realities of children and families nationwide.