President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah yesterday received letters of credence from 10 heads of mission, with the envoys pledging to deepen cooperation with Namibia, particularly in trade, infrastructure, energy, tourism and education.
Two of the diplomats are resident envoys, while eight are non-resident. During the ceremony, Nandi-Ndaitwah urged the heads of mission to work closely with Namibia to strengthen bilateral relations and promote practical cooperation that benefits citizens.
Speaking after presenting her credentials, Kenya High Commissioner Florence Chepngetich Koske-Bore said there was “so much potential” between Kenya and Namibia, especially in trade, transport and regional integration.
“We have so much potential between Kenya and Namibia, and we look forward to that. One of the key things I have requested is for Kenya to have a mission in Namibia so that we can deepen and widen our interactions,” Koske-Bore said.
She also highlighted the need for direct air connectivity between the two countries.
“We are looking forward to having a direct flight from Kenya to Namibia so that there is movement of goods, services and people,” she said.
Koske-Bore said Kenya and Namibia could also cooperate through their ports.
Botswana’s High Commissioner Philip Khwae said his priority would be pushing forward the Trans-Kalahari railway line, a major regional infrastructure project.
“There is an ongoing issue with the Trans-Kalahari railway line, which is meant to link the coast to Botswana and beyond to Zambia and other countries. My priority is to be in the driver’s seat to see that we achieve that goal, because that is the only way to help our economy,” Khwae said.
From Central Africa, Gabon’s Ambassador Edwige Koumby Missando said Namibia and Gabon had “a lot in common” and could work together in strategic sectors.
“We hope to strengthen cooperation in areas such as energy, mining and tourism,” Missando said.
New Zealand’s High Commissioner Philip Hewitt described Namibia as a country with strong opportunities in tourism and maritime cooperation.
“We are both maritime nations with small, open economies. We are looking at how we can work together in a rules-based international order to promote trade between our two countries,” Hewitt said.
Georgia’s Ambassador Roland Beritze said his focus would be broad-based cooperation, including economic ties and cultural exchanges.
“We would like to see opportunities not only in political cooperation but also in economic and business spheres, and definitely in people-to-people contacts. Cultural exchanges are very important,” Beritze said.
Ireland’s Ambassador Aidan Fitzpatrick said Namibia and Ireland shared a long history and common values.
“Our partnership goes back to pre-independence. We discussed areas where we can do more together, such as education, agriculture and tourism,” Fitzpatrick said.
He added that both countries shared positions internationally.
“It is important that countries like Ireland and Namibia work closely together to defend multilateralism and advance our mutual interests,” he said.
Additionally, Tunisia’s Ambassador Karima Bardaoui, said education and climate change cooperation would be key priorities.
“We will definitely work on education and what we call science diplomacy. We also want to work together on climate change, especially water management, because we share the same challenges as African countries,” Bardaoui said.
On the same day, Mauritania’s Ambassador Amedi Kamara, said cooperation would focus on productive sectors.
“We talked about energy, fishing, agriculture, mines, transport and communication. The President instructed me to work with the relevant services so that cooperation can move forward,” Kamara said.
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s Ambassador Hoang Sy Cuong said the two countries shared a traditional friendship.
“Our duty is to improve economic relations. There are areas for further cooperation, such as fisheries, tourism and minerals,” Cuong said.
Furthermore, Guinea’s Ambassador Dienabou Saifon Diallo, said the two countries would revive formal cooperation mechanisms.
“The last mixed cooperation commission was held in 2019. We are now going to strengthen cooperation in mining, energy, agriculture, fishing and infrastructure,” she said.
The President said the presentation of credentials should be a signal of strengthening Namibia’s global partnerships, with a strong focus on economic growth, regional connectivity and practical cooperation.