Germany–Namibia relations
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Namibia |
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Germany–Namibia relations are the
History
Pre-colonial relations
First contacts between people of the two countries took place when German missionaries were hired by the London Missionary Society to commence working in Southern Namibia during the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century.[2]
German South West Africa and Herero and Namaqua genocide
During the
Between 1904 and 1908, Germany commenced a
In 1915, during World War I, troops from South Africa invaded and occupied the territory. After the war, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forced to transfer its territory to the Union of South Africa in 1920, which at the time was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire.[5] The territory would be called South West Africa for the next 70 years.
Namibian independence and post-independence relations
In 1966, SWAPO launched an armed struggle against South African occupation which became known as the South African Border War.[5] In 1989 hostilities ceased in Namibia and in March 1990, Namibia became an independent nation. Namibian independence coincided with German reunification in October of that same year with both nations establishing diplomatic relations. In March 1998, German President Roman Herzog paid an official visit to Namibia.[6]
In August 2004, German minister for development, Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, recognized Germany's historical and moral responsibility for the genocide of the Herero and Nama people after 100 years. As a result, Germany decided to provide development aid to Namibia.[6] In September 2011, the German government returned skulls from colonial-era killings to Namibia. More skulls and bones are returned during separate ceremonies in 2014 and 2018.[6]
In 2015, negotiations start between the German and Namibian governments regarding an official apology and aid money. In 2016, the German government recognized the mass murder of Herero and Nama by German troops as genocide in an official document.[6]
In May 2021, the both countries announced that an agreement has been reached in which Germany recognizes the atrocities committed against the Herero and Nama people in the early 1900s as genocide. The German government pledged to spend €1.1 billion over 30 years for infrastructure and development aid in Namibia. The payments do not include reparations.[4]
In 2020, the
Relations soured between Germany and Namibia in 2024, after president Hage Geingob criticized Germany's support for Israel in the South Africa v. Israel case at the International Court of Justice. Geingob said that Germany had an "inability to draw lessons from its horrific history."[8]
Bilateral agreements
Both nations have signed a few bilateral agreements such as an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital (1996) and an agreement on the promotion of investments (1997).[9][10]
Tourism and transportation
Approximately 120,000 German visitors visit Namibia each year.
Trade
In 2018, trade between both nations totaled €200 million Euros.[10] Germany's main exports to Namibia include: machines, food products, electro-technical products, electronics, chemical products, automotive products, measurement and control technology. Namibia's main export products to Germany include: non-ferrous metals, food products, raw materials (except fuels), automotive products, machinery, leather products and natural oils.[11]
In August 2021, the two countries signed a joint declaration of intent (JCoI) in order to establish a green hydrogen partnership.[12] In May 2023, a Namibian company, Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, which is a subsidiary of Germany-headquartered Enertrag, agreed a $10 billion green hydrogen project with the Namibian government to export its production to Europe once built in the Tsau ǁKhaeb Sperrgebiet National Park.[13]
Resident diplomatic missions
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Sanlam Centre (left) hosting the Embassy of Germany in Windhoek
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Embassy of Namibia in Berlin
See also
References
- ^ Namdeutsch: How has the German colonial period left its mark on Namibian culture?
- ^ Biographies of Namibian Personalities at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-10-15) Ebner, Johann Leonhard
- ^ South African History Online: Namibia
- ^ a b Germany officially recognises colonial-era Namibia genocide
- ^ a b Namibia profile - Timeline
- ^ a b c d Namibia: A timeline of Germany's brutal colonial history
- ^ BMZ (2020). "Bilaterale ODA 2020 nach Ländern" (PDF). Retrieved 13 September 2023.
- ^ "Namibia: Germany 'unable to draw lessons from history' – DW – 01/24/2024". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
- ^ Agreement on Double Taxation Germany-Namibia
- ^ a b c Germany and Namibia: Bilateral relations
- ^ Namibia, German trade grows to N$3.6 billion
- ^ "Karliczek: Germany and Namibia form partnership for green hydrogen". Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung - BMBF. 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Hyphen and Namibia agree next phase of $10 billion green hydrogen project". Reuters. 25 May 2023.
- ^ Embassy of Germany in Windhoek
- ^ Embassy of Namibia in Berlin