Namibia and Germany have signed a N$103 million technical cooperation agreement to fund two projects aimed at expanding energy access and developing sustainable critical mineral value chains in Namibia.
The agreement, valued at €5.5 million, was signed by German Ambassador Thomas Wimmer and National Planning Commission (NPC) Director General Dr Kaire Mbuende as part of development cooperation between the two countries.
The projects were agreed during the 2025 Namibia-Germany bilateral negotiations on development cooperation held in Lüderitz and will now move into implementation.
One of the projects will support Namibia’s efforts to increase access to modern and sustainable energy services as the country targets raising national energy access from 59.3% to 70% by 2030.
The second project will focus on developing sustainable critical raw material value chains, including increasing local value addition, improving transparency and expanding economic opportunities arising from growing global demand for minerals required for the energy transition.
The agreement was signed during Wimmer’s introductory engagement with Mbuende following the German ambassador’s presentation of credentials to President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on 7 October.
The new projects add to existing German support for Namibia’s energy sector, which has included investment in the construction or replacement of about 1,300 kilometres of electricity transmission lines as well as the expansion and rehabilitation of the Ruacana Hydropower Plant.
The two countries also discussed Namibia’s broader development priorities and cooperation following the Namibian-German Strategic Dialogue held in Opuwo in September.
Germany currently has more than 50 development cooperation projects in Namibia implemented through KfW Development Bank, GIZ and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR).
The projects cover sectors including sustainable energy, vocational training, urban development and natural resource management.
Germany’s cumulative financial and technical development support to Namibia since 1990 exceeds €1.6 billion, equivalent to approximately N$30 billion.
