The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) is proud to announce the official handover and inauguration of two of its strategic facilities: the refurbished historic Ritterburg building, which houses MEFT offices, and the newly established Erongo Regional Office in Swakopmund.

The official ceremony, held on Friday, the 03^rd of October 2025, in Swakopmund, marks a significant milestone in the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to decentralize service delivery, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen environmental governance in the Erongo Region.

The MEFT’s office space in the Ritterburg building, a landmark of historical and architectural importance, was carefully refurbished and various renovation works on the exterior of the building were conducted. Financed by KfW on behalf of German Development Cooperation with co-funding from the MEFT, the renovation works to the value of approximately NAD 2,4 million, not only serve to preserve the cultural heritage site but also enhance the visibility and accessibility of the MEFT’s park management services.

In parallel, the inauguration of the new Erongo Regional Office demonstrates the MEFT’s commitment to regional presence and capacity building. The office is equipped to provide a full range of services related to environmental and park management as well as tourism promotion, ensuring that the Ministry is better positioned to serve the needs of the public, stakeholders, and conservation partners in the region.

The ceremony was officiated by Honourable Indileni Daniel, Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism as well as Deputy Head of Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to Namibia, Florian Seitz, and was made possible through the good collaboration between the Governments of the Republic of Namibia and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Germany and its Namibian partners are proud to be celebrating 35 years German-Namibian development cooperation and fruitful and trusted friendship in 2025. Since Namibia’s independence, the German Federal Government, through its implementing agencies KfW, GIZ and BGR, has been a key supporter of Namibia’s development agenda. Overall, Germany’s total financial and technical bilateral support extended exceeds appr. NAD 32 billion (EUR 1,6 bn) since 1990. Namibia receives the highest amount of bilateral official development aid per capita on the whole African continent. In addition, Germany is also contributing appr. 20% to the development cooperation funds provided by the European Union.