WINDHOEK, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is enacting a set of policies and infrastructure investments to become a leader in Africa's digital economy, Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Emma Theofelus said Thursday.

During a high-level ICT stakeholders' meeting in the Ohangwena Region, she highlighted significant progress in connectivity, cybersecurity, and regulatory reform.

According to Theofelus, the government has allocated substantial funds to bridge the persistent digital divide, committing 145 million Namibian dollars (about 8.4 million U.S. dollars) over the next three years to complement the Universal Service Fund.

Beyond physical infrastructure, the government is fast-tracking a series of strategic legal and operational reforms, she said, noting that a 5G strategy is now being implemented to expand digital infrastructure and enhance machine-to-machine telecommunications across all economic sectors.

Furthermore, Namibia is moving swiftly to secure its digital future as the Data Protection Bill has been modified and resubmitted for final legislative scrutiny, and an expert has been appointed to finalize the Cybercrime Bill by the end of November, said Theofelus.

Theofelus revealed that the ministry has also finalized the review of the National Broadband Policy, which will increase the minimum national broadband speed target from the current 2 megabits per second (Mbps) to 25 Mbps. Operators are expected to implement the new targets in 2026.

To address immediate threats, Theofelus noted that the Namibia Cyber Security Incident Response Team is fully operational, coordinating cyber defense efforts across the nation.

The minister also highlighted support for the creative economy, noting that the Namibia Film Commission will pilot two new film hubs in the Zambezi and Oshikoto regions. Enditem