On Monday, 27 April 2020, Obeth Kandjoze, Director General of the National Planning Commission of the Republic of Namibia, and Ellen Gölz, Chargée d’Affaires ad interim of the Federal Republic of Germany signed Agreements on Financial Grant and Technical Cooperation following the 2019 Governmental Negotiations on Development Cooperation between Germany and Namibia.

These two binding agreements cover programmes to the value of 35.3 million Euros (roughly 700 million NAD) addressing challenges for sustainable and inclusive development in Namibia with focus on governance, climate change, biodiversity, agriculture, food security and urban development.

Protection and inclusive use of Namibia’s natural resources

Namibia’s natural resources and biodiversity offer high potential for the country’s socio-economic development. But Namibia’s unique ecosystems are increasingly threatened due to unsustainable practices like overgrazing or deforestation as well as climate change. Germany will provide
9 million Euros to continue technical cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism implemented by GIZ.

The new project “Climate Change and Inclusive Use of Natural Resources” is aimed at fostering income generation and employment creation through the sustainable use of natural resources and at promoting alternative livelihoods in conservancies. Additional 5 million Euros in grants will be provided to UNAM Department of Wildlife Management and Ecotourism. The goal is to develop study programmes and research capacities to meet the growing demand on specialists in the sector.

Support for climate-resilient and competitive agriculture

The latest drought was a harsh lesson on how vulnerable agriculture and food security in Namibia are to climate change. Farmers need to adopt climate-resistant farming practices as well market-oriented approaches to create income and employment in rural areas. To continue the ongoing cooperation of GIZ with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform new funds of 8.3 million Euros will be provided to increase the competitiveness of Namibian agriculture while at the same time improving food security and climate resilience.

New programmes for sustainable urban development

To address the urgent need for action in the informal urban settlements, Germany also committed 5 million Euros for technical cooperation for sustainable and inclusive urban development as well as 6 million Euros for financial cooperation (grants) for the promotion of urban infrastructure. These projects are aimed at supporting the Namibian Government and selected communities to provide access to secure land titles and to noticeably improve the living conditions of low-income households.

Policy advice for sustainable development

Building on the principle of “leaving no one behind”, the 17 SDGs of the Agenda 2030 emphasize a holistic approach to achieve sustainable development for all. In that spirit, in 2017 Germany and Namibia launched a dedicated “SDG-Initiative” to support the integration of the Agenda 2030 national priorities in the monitoring, planning and budgeting processes in Namibia. Germany will provide 2 million Euros to continue this joint initiative of the National Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance and the Namibian Statistic Agency.