German official visits Swaziland

From October 31 to November 2, 2010, Günter Nooke, the Personal Representative of the Federal Chancellor for G8-Africa, visited the Kingdom of Swaziland. During his visit he had various meeting with representatives of the Swazi government, the royal family, the AIDS council and civil society.

Mr. Nooke focused on the economic and social situation in Swaziland, which is located between Mozambique and South Africa.

Enlarge image On November 2, Nooke inaugurated a building project in Mpolonjeni near Mbabane funded by the German Government. A primary school was extended by four classrooms to create more space for further students. With this addition, children between the age of six and twelve years will no longer have to walk 15 kms to the next school.  

For years, Germany and Swaziland have maintained a solid and amicable relationship, which includes dialogues on political topics. In 2002, the decision was made to stop all bilateral development cooperation, because the World Bank rated Swaziland as a “middle income country”. Particularly close contacts and exchanges exist between the two states in the areas of business, culture and sport.

The commitment of German NGOs in Swaziland is exceptional. The German Embassy Pretoria supports various micro-projects to fight poverty, under which  large parts of the Swazi population still suffer. Swaziland is one of the countries worst hit by the HIV/Aids pandemic. The effects of the recent global economic and financial crisis are also present.