Windhoek
Former French presidential candidate and current Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Ségolène Royal met yesterday with President Hage Geingob to discuss energy issues.
Royal, who arrived in Namibia on Sunday to learn more about the country’s energy sector, had a meeting on Monday with President Geingob and the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
France will host the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference later this year, the aim of which is to sign a new internationally binding UN framework agreement on climate and energy-related issues.
The French minister – who, incidentally, was born at Ouakam, Dakar in West Africa – yesterday also paid a courtesy visit to two solar panel installations that were set up at the Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre (KAYEC) and Penduka by the French-Namibian company, InnoSun.
“France is proud to contribute through the Franco-Namibian Company InnoSun, a subsidiary of the French Company InnoVent, to the development of renewable energy” in Namibia, Royal – a prominent member of the French Socialist Party – said.
Addressing the media yesterday, Royal said “Namibia is active in the preparation of the [UN Climate Change] Conference and can play a leading role, given that it has been the first developing country to submit its biennial contribution (biennial update report) to the Secretariat of the Convention.”
Royal said her country’s ambition is to get agreement from all 196 parties (195 countries + the European Union) on major topics affecting their long-term development and to achieve a universal, differentiated, legally binding agreement to contain global average temperature rises to no more than 2 degrees celsius.
Today the French Minister will meet with the Minister of Mines and Energy, Obeth Kandjoze, as well as his deputy, Kornelia Shilunga to discuss energy-related matters.