News from Berlin – Germany and Namibia have signed agreements on financial and technical cooperation worth nearly 72 million euros. The signing took place in Windhoek and is a statement of Germany’s commitment to the development of the African country. Since Namibia became independent in 1990 Germany has offered more than 800 million euros in development assistance. Berlin has also spent tens of million euros on communities that had suffered under the German colonial rule.

In broad terms the aid will be used to help reduce poverty, improve the population’s living conditions and foster economic development. Nearly half of the sum will be used to develop the coastal national parks, construct district roads and develop a research and development centre for the use of natural biodiversity products. Furthermore, a significant part of the aid is directed towards programmes on land reform and management, HIV/AIDS treatments and the improvement of competitiveness in the Namibian economy. Also, a share of the sum will go into groundwater management in Northern Namibia and for vocational training.

The projects are without a deadline, with a Namibian official declaring that every two years parties from both countries will meet and look at the progress made. Areas such as agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure are given top priority, together with the development of indigenous products and marketing them.

News from Berlin – Berlin Global