Staff Reporter
NAMIBIA and Germany have agreed to deepen their development partnership by focusing on climate-resilient water security, biodiversity and livelihoods, as well as a just green energy transition and skills development, following a Strategic Dialogue held in Opuwo last week.
The two governments reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable and inclusive development during the dialogue held on 29 and 30 September 2026, with the partnership expected to support green industrialisation, trade and investment, employment creation and climate resilience.
Germany has been a key development partner of Namibia for more than 35 years, with the cooperation dating back to Namibia’s independence in 1990.
The two sides described their bilateral relationship as close and trust-based, with Germany having been Namibia’s largest single development partner over the period.
Namibia is also the largest recipient of German development cooperation in Africa on a per-capita basis, highlighting the significance of the partnership between the two countries.
Past cooperation has included initiatives that secured livelihoods for 283,000 people across communal conservancies, as well as the expansion and rehabilitation of the Ruacana Hydropower Plant, which has a total capacity of 437 MW.
The governments also acknowledged progress achieved through cooperation in six areas: renewable energy, sustainable urban development, biodiversity, water, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and private and financial sector development.
These areas contribute to the implementation of Namibia’s Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), particularly its pillars on economic growth, transformation and resilience; human development and community resilience; and environmental sustainability.
Going forward, the development partnership will focus on two main areas: advancing climate-resilient water security, biodiversity and livelihoods, and harnessing Namibia’s potential for a just green energy and skills transformation.
The cooperation is intended to support green industrialisation while expanding trade and investment opportunities between Namibia and Germany, creating employment and protecting livelihoods and the environment.
The two countries also agreed to explore ways of supporting Namibia’s preparedness to mitigate the effects of El Niño within the framework of their existing cooperation.
On water security, Namibia and Germany aim to strengthen climate-resilient access to safe water and the sustainable management and conservation of Namibia’s biodiversity.
The planned interventions will address climate change adaptation, identified as one of Namibia’s most pressing challenges, while seeking to safeguard and improve livelihoods and ecosystems, particularly in rural communities.
The two governments also agreed to support Namibia’s socio-economic and ecological transformation through a just green energy transition.
Skills development will remain another focus, with both countries agreeing to strengthen labour-market-oriented TVET to enable more women and men, particularly young people, to access decent employment opportunities in Namibia’s emerging green economy.
In 2025, Germany committed €43.8 million (approximately N$822 million) towards projects in sustainable urban development, vocational training, green and sustainable energy, and sustainable natural resource management.
The current German development cooperation portfolio in Namibia comprises more than 50 projects implemented by KfW Development Bank, GIZ and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).
The funding consists of a combination of grants and concessional loans.
Looking ahead, Namibia and Germany expressed interest in exploring innovative development financing instruments to further support their cooperation.
The two governments said the next phase of their partnership would build on existing cooperation while responding to Namibia’s development priorities and the challenges posed by climate change.
Photo: Wind Press
