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Geingob meets US Congress members

2021-09-29  Staff Reporter

Geingob meets US Congress members

President Hage Geingob this week met with members of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington DC to discuss ways to further strengthen commercial ties between Namibia and the United States of America, as well as reinforcing US-Africa business relations to unlock opportunities for economic development.

In at t e ndance we r e representatives Karen Bass (house committee on foreign affairs; chair of subcommittee on Africa, global health), Hank Johnson (house committee on oversight and reform), Barbara Lee (budget committee) and Ilhan Omar (higher education and career readiness committee), who all emphasised the need to do more for the partnership with Africa and Namibia in particular. Bass visited Namibia last month, leading a group of political and business leaders to explore renewable energy opportunities in Namibia.

President Geingob thanked the government of the United States of America for donations of Covid-19 vaccines, including Pfizer that was recently delivered to Namibia. The Head of State outlined the challenges posed by Covid-19 and the efforts of government to fight the virus but also lauded in the same vein the unity of purpose, which has been demonstrated by world leaders and humanity at large.

P r e s i d e nt Ge i n g o b underscored the fact that Namibia would continue to pursue an independent foreign policy, consistent with her national interests and developmental objectives – and welcomed the possibility of Namibia benefiting from a second Compact under the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Following a presentation by media and entertainment company Starz, the meeting focussed on opportunities to locate Namibia as a destination for filmmakers and the development of the Namibian film industry in general. The Namibian delegation informed that the filmmaking industry was receiving increasing priority and the Namibian government was keen to pursue opportunities with Starz.

The Namibian delegation, led by the President, included international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, ambassador Margaret Mensah- Williams, mines minister Tom Alweendo, finance minister Ipumbu Shiimi and national planning minister Obeth Kandjoze. Members of the delegation made sector contributions about growing exports to the US, unlocking opportunities for development finance, agriculture, logistics, mining and renewable energy, with an emphasis on green hydrogen.

Opportunities identified for the strengthening of a film industry, for deepening a renewable ecosystem and logistics hub will be pursued through the relevant line ministries.


2021-09-29  Staff Reporter

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