Dirk Niebel, Bundesminister für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung und FDP-MdB aus dem Wahlkreis Heidelberg -

Message at the Topping for Ohorongo Cement

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It is a particular pleasure for me that my second visit to Africa has taken me to Namibia – a country with which Germany has special ties. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to be here today. Germany is a reliable partner for Namibia. Namibia and Germany have engaged in development cooperation for 20 years now. That cooperation is characterized by friendship, trust, and excellent collaboration – but also by Germany’s special responsibility.

The "Schwenk Zement" company has now added a remarkable project to our two countries’ close cooperation: the Namibian-German Ohorongo Cement factory.
What is it that makes this project so remarkable? Well, it is the largest German direct investment in Namibia. It will create hundreds of jobs.
It will generate high tax revenues and make the economy more diverse. It will make Namibia an exporter of cement, thus opening up new economic opportunities.
That is one reason why it is so remarkable. But I am, moreover, impressed by the courage and entrepreneurial spirit of Schwenk Zement and of all those who have been involved in the project, by the pioneering spirit of you all.

You have realized something which, unfortunately, all too many enterprises have not noticed yet: Africa is a continent of opportunity for Germany’s private sector!
Of course it is not easy for a German family business to venture into a developing country.
It has to overcome difficulties posed by the differences in legal systems, regulations, language, but also culture.
This is why a project of this type needs political support.
In this regard, Ohorongo Cement factory is a great example: the Namibian government and the German embassy in Windhoek have provided strong support to the project.
Governmental development banks – from Southern Africa, from Europe, and DEG from Germany – have cofinanced the project. The result has been an exemplary African-German public-private partnership.
I would like to thank all those present that they have made this project happen.There are three factors that are essential to this project: first, private-sector initiative; second: political support; and, third, official development assistance. In future, we want to create many more such projects. I am personally working for that, which is why I brought representatives of German business and of DEG with me as part of my delegation.

Through its development cooperation, Germany wants to help enable people to earn their own living. The private sector, and small and medium enterprises in particular, are an important driving force in that regard. That has been our experience in Germany, and we want to pass that experience on to our partners. This is why sustainable economic development is one of the priority areas of Namibian-German cooperation.
We also work together in the area of natural resource management. In that way, we help ensure sustainable land management, foster sustainable tourism, and preserve Namibia’s natural environment.

Another priority area of our cooperation is the improvement of infrastructure, which is a vital precondition for economic growth. And of course we are working with the Namibian government to fight HIV/AIDS, because that terrible epidemic hinders development and puts growth at risk.

Let me give you an example of our cooperation in the field of sustainable economic development. Soon, Namibia’s first microfinance bank will open, with support from Germany. Thanks to a pilot project, micro credits have been granted to more than 6,500 clients so far, most of them women. Thanks to these loans, they are able to earn their own living. They are able to increase their income, thus improving their living conditions and those of their families.It is my wish that micro credit will provide work and income for more people in Namibia and help reduce the huge gap in incomes. It is my wish that micro credit will result in the creation of small enterprises that help boost the national economy.
So even the smallest enterprises have a positive impact on development.

But Ohorongo Cement means much more for Namibia. Not only is cement the basis for infrastructure development, the factory itself will lend enormous impetus to development in the whole region. In the long term, 300 jobs will be created within the factory itself, and up to 2,000 jobs are expected to be created indirectly, for instance at contractors’ companies.
And even now, during the construction phase, 1,500 temporary jobs have been created.
Each of these jobs means income for families, better living conditions, and better prospects for children. A training center here on site will provide vocational education and ensure the transfer of knowledge. High environmental standards, investment in an infrastructure fund for education and health, and the construction of 200 homes for factory staff show that Schwenk Zement is truly living its corporate social responsibility.
I would like to congratulate you on that. It is my hope that Ohorongo Cement will become a model project that encourages other German or international investors to become involved in Namibia.

It is my wish that the experience gained in the course of project preparation be used to improve the general environment in Namibia for further investment. I look forward to the tour of the construction site I am about to be given, to further fruitful talks with all of you, and to my meetings tomorrow in the Central North, which will all be related to sustainable economic and infrastructure development.

I hope that the cement produced at this factory will be just as firm and solid as the friendship between Namibia and Germany has been for decades. Thank you very much.

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