On 27 September 2021, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Andreas Götze, officially handed over the 200 000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines - which arrived on 22 September 2021 - to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), represented by Hon. Dr. Kalumbi Shangula (Minister of Health and Social Services). The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO) was represented by the Hon. Deputy Minister, Jenelly Matundu.

Chargé d’Affaires of the German Embassy, Dr. Andreas Götze expressed his satisfaction about the arrival of the vaccines and underlined the close ties that unite Germany and Namibia in their common fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He encouraged all Namibians to get vaccinated.

Dr. Shangula underlined that the Covid-19 pandemic was an existential threat to Namibia, as well as the entire world. He expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Germany and said: “Today we are witnessing diplomacy in action as we receive a donation of 201 600 doses of Astra Zeneca from the Federal Republic of Germany which has stood firmly by our side and continues to support Namibia battling this pandemic on many fronts.” He also urged all eligible persons to go out in numbers and get vaccinated as the country now has a strong portfolio of vaccines available and that the received doses would go a long way in protecting and saving lives.

Deputy Minister of Internal Relations and Cooperation, Hon. Jenelly Matundu also extended a profound gratitude and mentioned that the Federal Republic of Germany had been an exceptional partner in Namibia’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. She also urged caution, saying that the battle was still not won and that controlling the Covid-19 pandemic, reviving the economy and livelihood while saving lives was key to ensuring continued efforts of the development agenda.

The vaccines were donated by the German government to the Government of Namibia to assist its efforts to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 and the severe impacts on many vulnerable Namibians and Namibia’s public health system.

In these difficult times, Germany stands firmly by the side of Namibia and its peoples. So far, Germany has donated to Namibia surgical gowns, FFP2/N95 face masks, care beds, antigen rapid tests and safety goggles, ventilators, pulse oximeters and PCR test kits for over 11 Million Euros (approx. 190 Million NAD).