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On March 21, 1990, Namibia gained independence. On that day, the Founding President and Father of the Namibian Nation, Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma, said: “I say on behalf of the people that Namibia is forever free, sovereign and independent”
On the road to Namibia’s independence, Africa and successive Ghanaian governments and people marched side by side with the inhabitants of then South West Africa.
Ghana has truly lived up to the spirit of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s profound and visionary statement that “Ghana’s independence only makes sense if it is tied to the total liberation of Africa”.
Subsequently, during the time of the Organization of African Unity, the Non-Aligned Movement, the United Nations, the Commonwealth, etc., Ghana constantly made its voice heard for the decolonization of Africa. and to support the independence of Namibia.
In addition, the brotherly people of Ghana have opened their hearts and homes to hundreds of young Namibians who have received secondary education to lead a free and independent Namibia. These professionals now play a central role in the socio-economic development of Namibia.
During the transition to independence, Ghana made a police contingent available to the United Nations Transition Group (UNTAG).
Therefore, every year on March 21 when Namibia celebrates its independence, it is mainly in remembrance of the brave Namibian sons and daughters who paid the ultimate sacrifice as well as his friends all over the world, especially Ghana for having stand firm with the people of Namibia until the end.
Namibia-Ghana bilateral relations
Diplomatic relations between Namibia and Ghana were established shortly after independence on March 21, 1990 and remain excellent.
Namibia opened a diplomatic mission in Accra in 2014.
As part of the consolidation of bilateral relations, high-level state and ministerial level visits continue to be exchanged.
The last such visit to Ghana, albeit on a sad occasion, was in 2019, by His Excellency Dr Hage Godfrey Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, in the presence of the final shipment of one of the sons from the soil of Ghana, Kofi Annan.
Namibia – Ghana bilateral cooperation
Namibia’s cooperation with Ghana is based on the premise that our two countries will become stronger and prosperous when we unite our efforts to address common challenges and take advantage of shared opportunities for mutual benefit.
Wishing to pursue common development aspirations, the two countries signed a general framework cooperation agreement which provides for the establishment of the Permanent Joint Cooperation Commission (PJCC).
The PJCC serves as a platform for the conduct of bilateral relations and the identification and pursuit of bilateral cooperation.
Currently, cooperation between Namibia and Ghana includes the following sectors:
Agriculture, environment and tourism, trade and investment, mining, energy, education, science and technology, health, fisheries and aquaculture, infrastructure development and maritime.
Beyond bilateral cooperation, our partnership with major international institutions, such as the African Union, the United Nations and other major multilateral platforms, has continued to produce mutual benefits.
Person-to-person contacts
While bilateral relations are between governments, it is people-to-people contacts that will boost bilateral cooperation, trade and investment between Namibia and Ghana.
In the same vein, it is the people-to-people contacts that will determine “the Africa we want” as contained in the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
To this end, the Namibia-Ghana Friendship Association was launched on December 13, 2017. The aim of the Association is to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the peoples of the two countries and to complement the efforts of governments to promote cultural and educational exchanges.
The association also promotes friendship between students, academics, engineers, scientists, athletes and actors from various sectors.
Membership is open to all individuals and entities who share the vision of the Association.
Namibia – Ghana trade relations
Building on the existing bilateral cooperation, the two countries also wish to increase bilateral trade in the context of the timely African Continental Free Trade Area, thereby boosting our economic recovery and development in the post-Covid era.
Namibia is world famous for its exports of beef and related products, drinks, dates, grapes, fish, salt and minerals to name a few.
There are complementarities between the economies of the two countries from which the Namibian and Ghanaian private sector should benefit.
Namibia has a well established fishing industry and seeks to increase the existing volume of its fish and seafood products in the Ghanaian market.
Through our Permanent Joint Cooperation Commission, we recognized that trade relations between the two countries could be mutually beneficial, especially since each country could serve as a springboard for greater trade relations with other countries in the world. south and south. West Africa.
Namibia’s Development Plan: Vision 2030
Determined to gradually improve the standard of living of the Namibian people, the Government of the Republic of Namibia presented its Master Development Plan – Vision 2030.
Its aim is to guide Namibia’s deliberate efforts to improve the quality of life of its people to the level of their counterparts in the developed world by 2030.
Vision 2030 was launched in June 2004 by His Excellency Dr Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma and continues to be implemented through five-year national development plans. Namibia is currently implementing its fifth national development plan.
In 2005, His Excellency President Hifikepunye Pohamba was sworn in as the second President of Namibia. It continued to pursue Vision 2030 with the implementation of the third and fourth national development plans.
His Excellency President Hage G. Geingob, who was sworn in on March 21, 2015 for his first term, implemented the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPPI) in 2016. The goal of the IPPH was to accelerate the implementation implementing national development plans for the timely achievement of Vision 2030.
HPP is built and firmly anchored on building a Namibian home, where Namibians come together to hold hands and build an inclusive economy with shared growth.
Upon taking office for his second term on March 21, 2020, President Geingob launched the Harambee Prosperity Plan II (HPPII) on March 18, 2021.
The HPPII is a targeted impact plan, made up of short and medium-term priority objectives and strategic actions to continue accelerating national development towards Vision 2030 and Prosperity for all.
HPPII aims to ensure Namibia is ready to respond to national socio-economic challenges and global opportunities, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Harambee II prosperity plan is based on five (5) pillars, namely:
Pillar 1: Effective governance
Pillar 2: Economic progress
Pillar 3: Social advancement
Pillar 4: Infrastructure development
Pillar 5: International relations and cooperation.
The pillar on international relations and cooperation aims to strengthen Namibia’s economic diplomacy and take advantage of the opportunities created by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
In this context, the Namibian High Commission in Ghana invites citizens as well as the private sector of both countries to take full advantage of trade and investment opportunities.
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