Germany will provide a total of 127 million Euro of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Namibia over the two-year period 2011-12. An approximate 40 percent of that total will consist of concessional loans (mainly for the Lower Orange River Hydro Power Plant Project). The balance, 60 percent, will be made up for by grants in the form of financial or technical cooperation.

Whilst the lion's share of the financial means is being invested in three long-standing focal areas of bilateral cooperation (natural resources, transport, sustainable economic development), new emphasis has been placed on education, with a total of 15 million Euro earmarked for new projects and components. These will all take place at the UNAM Engineering Faculty and the Polytechnic of Namibia, as per the agreement concluded on May 19, 2011 in Windhoek by Director-General Alweendo and the German Ambassador to Namibia, Mr. Egon Kochanke.

Enlarge image Dirk Niebel, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (© REGIERUNGonline/Chaperon) That is the result of the biennial German-Namibian Government consultations on Development Co-operation held on May 23-24, 2011 in Bonn and Berlin. At the close of these consultations, German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mr. Dirk Niebel, met with the Director-General of the Namibian Planning Commission, Mr. Tom Alweendo, in Berlin.

Prior to the meeting, Minister Niebel said, “Germany remains committed to its historical responsibility towards Namibia and will continue the close economic partnership with Namibia”.

Germany’s Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has pledged support for the management of natural resources as well as for the enhancement of the transport network, especially in support of the poor sections of the population. Minister Niebel: “The protection of the ecological resources of Namibia as a foundation for economic development via tourism, mining and agriculture is the focal point of our cooperation. The aim is to make it possible for the people of Namibia to utilise these resources in a productive and sustainable manner.”

Since Namibia is also one of the countries with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world, the German Government has also pledged further support for the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Namibia.

With regard to education and training, Minister Niebel stressed: “Economic development is a prerequisite for sustainable development, and in order to achieve this, improvement of the standard of education is indispensable. This is why we extend our cooperation in these two sectors.” In the face of a widespread lack of skilled labour and an unemployment rate of over 50 percent in Namibia, cooperation will also include vocational training in the future, as well as support for Namibian universities.

In the face of Germany's historically founded responsibility, the German Parliament (Bundestag) had requested the Federal Government back in 1989 to shape a special partnership with Namibia. Development Cooperation has become one of the pillars of the resulting close bilateral relationship. Its main aim is to support the Namibian Government in the creation of employment and income, and thus, in the fight against poverty. Total German ODA to Namibia since independence  amounts to roughly 700 million Euro.