Message from Resident Representative

　The Republic of Namibia is a country located in the southwestern part of the African continent and facing the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the country is occupied by arid deserts and cool plateaus. In Namibia, there is the beautiful Namib Desert, which is said to be the oldest in the world, as well as nature parks where one can enjoy wild animals and the rich nature.

　The Republic of Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990. After independence, the country achieved steady economic growth through democratic and stable politics, sound fiscal management, and made significant progress in terms of income, education, and health. Thanks to her wealth in mineral resources such as diamonds and uranium, as well as export industries such as A-Grade beef, the per capita income has reached $4,880. On the other hand, however, it is facing a huge challenge of a very large gap between the rich and the poor, as well as a high unemployment rate among young people.

　In line with the policies of the Namibian government, Japan has positioned "development of industrial infrastructure to support sustainable economic growth" and "contribution to poverty reduction and livelihood improvement in rural areas" as priority areas and is promoting cooperation.

　JICA opened an office in the capital city of Windhoek in 2005 and has been promoting various forms of cooperation. To date, a total of 163 JOCV volunteers have been dispatched in the fields of primary to senior secondary school education, PC instructors and computer technology, architecture and civil engineering, rice cultivation, and fashion designing. In addition, through technical cooperation with Japanese experts, we continue support the improvement of livelihoods in rural areas and the development of infrastructure for economic growth.