REPUBLIC OF

REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY MARTIN ANDJABA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 25TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA

27 MARCH 2015 WASHINGTON, D.C.

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Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Dr. Shannon Smith, Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished Invited Guests Fellow Namibians Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am profoundly honoured to welcome you all and thank you for joining us this evening as we celebrate the 25th independence anniversary of the Republic of Namibia.

I am grateful to Dr. Shannon Smith, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs for accepting my invitation to be our Guest of Honour tonight.

I wish to acknowledge, with great appreciation, the many messages of congratulations and good wishes that we have received from you all; and in particular, from President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry, on Namibia’s 25th independence anniversary. Messages were also received congratulating His Excellency Dr. , on his inauguration as the President of the Republic of Namibia.

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

On March 21st, 1990, Namibia attained her freedom and independence. On that historic day, we achieved our objective of political emancipation and sovereignty, following a protracted and bitter struggle for our liberation.

It has been 25 years now since Namibia became a free nation: free from the shackles of German occupation, apartheid and colonialism. The attainment of our freedom and independence was not easy. It was a difficult road that called for gallantry and sacrifice.

As we celebrate our independence anniversary tonight, we pay homage to our forefathers, the heroes and heroines of the Namibian soil who sacrificed their lives in order for Namibia to be free and independent.

Their sacrifices have not been in vain. We shall forever remember them for having held the beacon of freedom and liberty high in the face of a long and arduous journey to ensure Namibia’s eternal sovereignty, peace, stability and prosperity.

At this juncture, I wish to acknowledge, with appreciation, the support rendered by the international community to the people of Namibia during the struggle for our liberation. As my president always put it,

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Namibia is a product of international solidarity. Therefore, we remain forever grateful for this support.

At independence in March 1990, our leaders decided to forgive the very same people who had killed and maimed many Namibians during the liberation struggle. Our leaders chose the path of peace and unity. In this regard, the Government of Namibia adopted a policy of national reconciliation in order to heal old wounds and encourage peaceful coexistence and unity among Namibians. This policy has worked well and ensured political stability in the country.

Namibia has become a model of democracy during its 25 years of independence. We have held regular, free, fair and peaceful elections. The most recent elections took place on 28 November 2014 using the electronic voting system for the first time. The voting process went smoothly and the elections were certified and declared by local and international observers as having been free and fair.

These elections were won by the ruling party, SWAPO, with an overwhelming 80 % of the votes. His Excellency Dr. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, who was the SWAPO Party Presidential candidate won by an overwhelming majority of 87 %; giving him a strong mandate to continue to strengthen Namibia’s democracy, peace and stability in the same way as his predecessors had done.

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As testament to Namibia’s stable democracy, our former President, , was awarded the 2014 Mo Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership. The former President received the award because he had demonstrated sound and wise leadership during his tenure as the President of the Republic of Namibia. We are proud of his achievement and his exemplary leadership.

I also wish to underscore the fact that, because of the strong foundation laid by the Founding President , and consolidated by former President Pohamba, the ground has been properly set for the current President, to continue guarding Namibia's reputation as a well-governed, stable country and inclusive democracy.

As Namibians, we take pride in the smooth and peaceful transition of power from former President Pohamba to President Hage Geingob. We are all happy as a nation and look forward to the competent leadership of the new President to lead Namibia to greater heights of prosperity.

In his inaugural speech, His Excellency the President said, while the Namibian Government had been successful in establishing a robust Governance architecture and implementing sound macroeconomic policies, the main priority for his administration would be to address the socio-economic gaps that exist in the Namibian society.

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These gaps had existed for too long during the apartheid regime. With the many challenges that confronted us at independence, the government initiated programmes and policies aimed at stimulating the economy, creating jobs, eradicating poverty, addressing the unequal income distribution, promoting gender equality, upgrading the level of education, and ensuring free and quality healthcare.

In this connection, we have made considerable advances in terms of improving the living standards of many Namibians. Various infrastructure projects were also initiated. The expansion of our physical and communications infrastructure continued apace, with the construction of new schools, hospitals and clinics, boreholes, bridges, tarred and gravel roads around the country; the extension of the railway line; the upgrading of our telecommunications; and the expansion and deepening of the port of Walvis Bay to also serve as a logistics hub for the landlocked neighbouring countries.

It is important to note that there are always challenges and shortcomings in the accomplishment of set goals and objectives. However, the Namibian Government is working hard to address these shortcomings.

Therefore, in order to accomplish this, a revised Government structure is being put in place with the aim of implementing the Government’s development Plans and improve service delivery.

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All these are set out in the national development Plan referred to as Vision 2030. The goal of the Vision is to improve the quality of life of the people of Namibia to the level of their counterparts in the developed world, by 2030. The Vision is also designed to promote the creation of a diversified, open market economy, with a resource-based industrial sector and commercial agriculture, placing greater emphasis on skills development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Namibia and the United States of America have excellent bilateral relations. The two countries enjoy longstanding cultural, political and economic relations.

For the past 25 years Namibia has received tremendous support and assistance from the United States Government through various programmes led by; among others, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). We are indeed grateful for this generous support and assistance from the US Government and the American people.

I would like to particularly extend our special thanks to the many US Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in Namibia and those who continue to serve in our country.

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They work tirelessly within our communities in support of our Government’s education, agriculture and tourism programmes.

Deputy Assistant Secretary, Distinguished Guests,

I wish to thank you, once again, for joining us in celebrating this special occasion of our silver jubilee and hope that you will enjoy the rest of the evening.

It is now my distinct honour to invite you to join me in a toast to the continued excellent bilateral relations between Namibia and the United States of America and to the good health of our respective Presidents, and to the prosperity of our two nations. The Presidents!

Long Live the Republic of Namibia!

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