Business Reporter
FOLLOWING negotiations on Development Cooperation between Namibia and Germany in 2021, Obeth Kandjoze, Director General of the National Planning Commission, and Herbert Beck, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, signed two Government Agreements on Financial Cooperation and Technical Cooperation between Germany and Namibia on 21 April 2022.
The agreements cover eight new programmes to the value of 40.5 million Euro (currently about N$650 million).
The funds will be used on financing projects in Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and the promotion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
Allocations will also go toward the establishment of a Sustainable Financing Mechanism for Namibia’s Protected Areas, establishment of an Urban Development Fund, Sustainable Urban Mobility Windhoek, Green People’s Energy, and Sustainable Use of Namibia’s Mineral Potential.
National Development Advisor of Bilateral Programs Nikita Mbarandongo stated that the Namibian-German development cooperation is a central component of the relations between the countries.
“Since Namibia’s independence, Germany has supported the Namibian Government in its development efforts. To date, German development cooperation with Namibia – governmental and non-governmental programmes – amounts to more than 1.2 billion Euros. In per-capita terms, Namibia is thus the largest recipient of German development cooperation in Africa,” Mbarandongo shared.
She added that at the last round of bilateral development negotiations, Namibia and Germany agreed on new grants and loans in the amount of 242 million euros (approximate 4 billion NAD).
Namibian-German development cooperation is based on agreements between the two countries, which are concluded during negotiations between the two governments every two years.
In the scope of these negotiations, strategies for future cooperation are developed together.
The next round of negotiations on development cooperation will be held in 2023.
Mbarandongo noted that Namibia – German cooperation has yielded positive results and has contributed to Namibia’s quest of achieving its national aspirations such as employment creation and poverty reduction.
“Some of the many ongoing programmes under the cooperation include the support to addressing the economic and social challenges Namibia is facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, support to the management of public enterprises, promotion of vocational education, support to the transport sector, support packages for conservation, biodiversity and the tourism sector as well as the support programs for businesses, SMEs and informal settlements,” Mbarandongo concluded.
