As part of the strengthening of the ties of friendship and cooperation between the sister Republics of Namibia and Togo, and at the invitation of the Honorable Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia, HE Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of Togo, paid an official visit to Windhoek, Namibia, from March 15 to 17, 2018.
This visit is an extension of the one carried out in Namibia on 10-12 October 2012 by HE Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, President of the Togolese Republic. It is important to note that during this visit, the Togolese President and his Namibian counterpart laid the groundwork for diplomatic relations between their countries through the signing of a framework agreement for cooperation in the political, economic, technical, scientific, cultural and social as well as commercial fields.
Trade between the Togolese and Namibian sides focused on several issues related to the environment and tourism, agriculture, water, public works and transport, industrialization, trade and tourism, development of small and medium enterprises and education.
Addressing the issues of the environment and tourism, Minister Robert DUSSEY reiterated to the Namibian party, the wish of the Togolese Head of State to enrich the national parks of Togo from a cooperation with countries with high diversity wildlife and plant animal biology including Namibia. The project of wildlife transfer from Namibia to Togo led to thorough discussions and these three goals have been identified:
– initiate a meeting between the relevant Namibian and Togolese services with a view to deepening exchanges on the issue;
– invite or host Namibian wildlife protection experts / technicians in Togo to learn about the Togolese government’s efforts to safeguard its protected areas. This visit will allow the Namibian part to appreciate the types of wildlife adapted to the Togolese environment;
– share Namibian experiences with Togo in this area, particularly through capacity building of Togolese executives.
On the agricultural front, the discussions between the two diplomats led to the need to intensify cooperation between both countries in view of the fact that Togo has a wide variety of cereal products and could benefit from the Namibian experience in terms of transformation.
On maritime transport and security issues, the two diplomats agreed on the upcoming signing of an « open sky » agreement between Togo and Namibia to facilitate the connection between Lomé and Windhoek through Asky Airlines and Namibian Airways.
They also indicated the establishment of a connection strategy between the port of Lomé and Windhoek in order to promote the exchange of local products from the two countries. A visit to Lomé is intended for this purpose by the Director General of the Port of Windhoek.
With regards to maritime transport and security issues, the two Ministers agreed on the importance of a connection strategy between the port of Lomé and the port of Windhoek with a view to promoting trade in local products from both countries. A visit by the Director General of the Port of Windhoek is envisaged for this purpose in Lomé. The issue of air transport between West Africa and Namibia was also addressed by the two personalities. For this purpose, the option of soliciting the company Asky to serve Namibia from Lomé was considered.
The two ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on political and diplomatic consultations between the two countries.
Both parties also reaffirmed their willingness to accelerate the establishment of the Togo-Namibia Joint Cooperation Commission. This cooperation framework is supposed to facilitate periodic meetings of experts from both countries in order to implement the political guidelines of their highest authorities. To do so, they decided to exempt the entry visa and residence between the two countries for the benefit of their nationals’ holders of diplomatic and official passports.
In addition, both parties urged to work towards the achievement of the objectives of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 in order to respond effectively to the populations expectations, especially young Africans.
During his stay, Minister Robert DUSSEY paid a courtesy call on HE President Dr. Hage G. GEINGOB, President of the Republic of Namibia.
Source : www.icilome.com