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The Embassy of Namibia |
Contact
Address : Reichsstrasse 17, Berlin, D-14052
Tel.:(+49) 30 254 09 50
Fax :(+49) 30 254 095 55
E-mail : info@namibia-botschaft.de
The Ambassador
Amb. Martin Andjaba
Amb. Andjaba was born on 17th December 1957 in Onhokolo, Namibia, and is married with 5 children.
As a young man, Andjaba went into exile and joined the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia.
In 1980, he completed his diploma of Management and Development from the UN Institute for Namibia (UNIN) in Lusaka, Zambia. He was on a nine months internship program at the Zambian National Commission for Development Planning in Lusaka.; 1989 Diploma in Diplomacy and International Relations through the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and a Professional Certificate in Diplomacy at the Foreign Service Academy of Nigeria.
In 1984, he started working as Senior Coordinator at the Department of International Relations of SWAPO at the SWAPO Provisional Headquarters, then as Secretary of the African Group of Ambassadors in Luanda, Angola. In 1989, Ambassador Andjaba was repatriated to Namibia together with other SWAPO leaders and cadres. He was appointed Chief of Protocol of the SWAPO Directorate of Elections, then Chief of Protocol of the Republic of Namibia.
In August 1999 and October 2000, he was President of the UNSC; in September 1999 and October 2000 the Leader of the UNSC delegation to Indonesia and East Timor. During his assignment at the UN (1999-2000), Ambassador Andjaba was also accredited to Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. His other positions include Namibia’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in New York from 1996 to 2006; Head of Department: Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2010); Ambassador of Namibia to the USA, accredited to the Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama (2010-2018); Minister in the Presidency, concurrently as Acting Minister of Education, Arts and Culture from July 2019 to March 2020; Member of the Namibian Parliament (2018-2020).
History
Namibia's diplomatic relations with Germany have had their challenges and opportunities. After Namibia gained independence in 1990, the country established diplomatic relations with Germany.
Germany colonised Namibia in 1884, and for this reason the relationship between the countries needed to be re-established in a new and positive manner. The SWAPO leadership in exile worked closely with leading personalities of the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD/Social Democratic Party of Germany), the Green Party, and the long-serving German Foreign Minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher. This relationship extended to working with churches, student/youth and solidarity organisations, foundations and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Herr Genscher and leading personalities within the SPD played a vital role in facilitating meetings between SWAPO and German leaders and institutions in Namibia.
