Development Minister visits DED Project in Namibia .
Only a few months after taking office in the Federal Minsitry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Minister Dirk Niebel payed a first visit to Namibia. From February 3 to 5, the Liberal Democrat stayed in the country. On the first day of the visit, Niebel took the opportunity to meet with Twapewa Mudjanima-Kadhikwa, owner of PEWA Hair and Skin Care Products and the Xwaima Restaurant in Katutura, a successful business start up that has emerged under the tutelage of DED's partner SMEs Compete.
Upon his arrival at the restaurant, Niebel was asked by the owner to "dance right in" as tradition has it. The minister and his entourage followed suite and a heartly accounter took off. Mudjanima-Kadhikwa explained her philosophy of business and why hair and skin treatment and cooking fit well into the same business portfolio. "You see", she said, "It is all about plant oil. Oil is a good ingredient in care lotions as well as in cooking recepies."
SMEs Compete's Claudine Mouton then introducted Niebel to her consultant firm and the role it and DED played in assisting SMEs with gaining competitiveness and entrepreneurship. She was followed by Ali Ipinge, Manager of the SME Programme of FNB First National Bank Namibia, partner of DED and SMEs Compete in a micro-finance PPP (public-private-partnership). In this PPP FNB offers loans to SMEs while SMEs Compete mentors the beneficiaries in business excellence. Ipinge had the undivided attention of Minister Niebel when explaining how the PPP helped to bring down substantially the credit failrates amongst SMEs.
During his stay, the Minister also took part in the Roof-wetting Ceremony of Ohorongo's cement factory (Otavi). Co-financed by KfW respectively the European Investment Bank and owned by Schwenk Zement KG in Germany. Niebel concluded his visit on 5 February after meeting for an extensive political talk with President Hifikepunye Pohamba.
DED Haiti mourns over dead colleague .
(Bonn (14 January 2010). A DED professional has suffered lethal injuries during the devastating earth quake (7 magnitude) in Haiti. The 61 year old administrator was employed at the DED office in Port au Prince. She got hit by a collapsing garden wall when she left her home after the first tremor had set in. The Austrian national died hours later in custody.
DED and Polytech sign Memorandum .
Windhoek (November 2009). DED and the Polytechnic of Namibia have jointly embarked on a bilateral cooperation to enable and foster entrepreneurial thinking and acting in Namibia. On 02 November Dr. Tjama Tjivikua, Rector of Polytechnic of Namibia and Achim Mortier, DED Coutry Director Achim signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the implementation of the Namibian Business Innovation Centre (NBIC), an Entrepreneurship Programme and the incubation of business innovations and technology transfer based start-ups at Polytechnic. „The MoA will lay the the formal basis for the formation and support of Namibia's first full-fledged business incubator", explains DED Programme Manager Jörn-Hendrik Müller-Bornemann. In the initial phase, DED will support the incubator and its accompanying programme with a full time-advisor.
The weltwaerts volunteers of 2009 .
weltwaerts volunteers, Windhoek 2009
Windhoek (28 September 2009). On 17 September 2009 yet another group of volunteers of the weltwaerts Programme has arrived in Namibia. Together with the eleven Germans who have already arrived in July, they will comprise the 2nd generation of weltwaerts volunteers ever to Namibia. weltwaerts strives to prepare young volunteers to spend a year in developing countries like Namibia rendering community and related development service. In turn it gives those youngsters a chance to learn about- and appreciate Namibian culture and hospitality. In the process it fosters goodwill and mutual respect between both nations. In this spirit, DED Namibia welcomes the young adults and wishes them well for their 12 month stay in Namibia.
