Namibia

Estonia and Namibia established a diplomatic relationship in 2004. Namibia is ESTDEV’s focus in Southern Africa, where development cooperation targets e-government, education, business development, and the green revolution.

One of Namibia’s biggest strides in establishing a strong democracy has been the ongoing development of e-governance, a goal that Estonia has championed with the country since 2013. To this end, Estonia’s e-Governance Academy has collaborated with Cybernetica to develop the Nam-X data exchange system. This platform is now the interface through which Namibia’s e-government services have begun.

Namibia is making significant progress in the development of renewable energy. As one of the world’s sunniest coastal countries, Namibia is considered an excellent region for green hydrogen production. In November 2022, the European Union signed a strategic partnership with the Namibian government to accelerate the production of hydrogen using renewable sources. This step, signifying Namibia’s entrance into the green revolution, has opened doors for Estonia to support the related business environment, adapt education, and raise environmental awareness and digital skills.

From 2009–2023, Namibia’s strides have been buoyed through various development cooperation and humanitarian aid projects, amounting to nearly €750,000 in funding and 12 implemented projects. As of 1 September 2024, 2 bilateral projects are ongoing to support the development of heritage-based digital and entrepreneurial skills among young people and the creation of national interoperability and e-services. In addition, we have 3 ongoing scholarship programmes. We are also supporting the development of data governance in Africa and the organisation of various events on digitalisation at international conferences.