Windhoek — President Hage G. Geingob Concludes Successful Official Visits to Angola for Investiture Ceremony of the Angolan President, H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves, the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London, UK, as well as the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA
En route to the United Nations General Assembly 77th Session (UNGA 77), President Geingob participated in the Investiture Ceremony of H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola, on 15 September 2022. While in Luanda, Angola, President Geingob laid a wreath in honour of the late former President José Eduardo dos Santos at Memorial António Agostinho Neto in Luanda, Angola on Friday, 16 September 2022.
In remarks to media in Angola, including Africanews and Euronews, President Geingob described the late President José Eduardo dos Santos as a consequential leader who made a stellar contribution to the liberation of Southern Africa, specifically Namibia. The President further said that President José dos Santos was a personal friend, and his presence at his final resting place was a testament to their friendship and the significance of Namibia-Angola bilateral cooperation. President Geingob informed that he could not participate in the funeral due to circumstances beyond his control and found it apt to lay a wreath en route to UNGA. Prior to departure for the United Kingdom, President Geingob received a courtesy call from the Special Representative of the Government of the Peoples Republic of China to the Investiture Ceremony of H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço. As part of the elevation of the Namibia-China relations to a Strategic Partnership on Cooperation, the deliberations focused on enhancing political consultations between Namibia and China in multilateral fora.
On 18 September 2022, President Geingob arrived in London, the United Kingdom to attend alongside over 120 Heads of State and Government, the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, 19 September 2022. On the evening of 18 September 2022, President Geingob attended, alongside other Heads of State and Government, the King Charles III Reception at Buckingham Palace in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II, followed on Monday, 19 September 2022, by the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in London.
On the margins of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, President Geingob met with a team of Adam Global representatives, Professors Tahiri Akhtar, Rotimi Jaiyesimi, and Anil Kumar of New Vision University in Tbilisi, and the Right Honourable Paul Clark. The meeting was a follow-up to a dinner hosted last year in London in honour of President Geingob. Adam Global is initiating a programme of training for medical doctors in Namibia. In January 2023, a team of doctors in orthopedics, maternity health, accident safety health, and eye health will visit Namibia to kick-start the training programme. Adam Global pledged ten scholarships to Namibian students to study medicine at New Vision University in the Republic of Georgia.
From London, President Hage G. Geingob, on 20 September 2022, joined over 190 Heads of State and world leaders for the official opening of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly's 77th Session (UNGA 77) in New York, United States of America (USA), under the theme: "A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges." The theme of UNGA recognizes that the world is at a critical moment in the history of the United Nations due to complex and interconnected crises and aims to find joint solutions to crises and build a sustainable and resilient world. The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the United Nations.
President Geingob delivered his statement on behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of Namibia at UNGA 77 on Wednesday, 21 September 2022. In his statement, President Geingob stated that Namibians were proud of the work the country has undertaken towards the second phase of our struggle for economic independence as the country had built a strong foundation for our governance architecture with an emphasis on strengthening processes, systems, and institutions in order to ensure Effective Governance for service delivery. President Geingob also outlined, among others, Namibia's commitment to the transformation of education, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), including peace and stability on the African continent and the world at large.
President Geingob furthermore expressed the country position with regards to Namibia's classification as an Upper Middle-Income Country, which presents challenges with regard to mobilising resources to finance development goals. President Geingob stated that the formula of taking our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and dividing it by our small population, thus deriving a high per capita income is, without doubt, flawed and requires urgent consideration as it does not take into account the vast income disparities between the wealthy whites and the poor blacks, which is a consequence of 100 years of colonialism and Apartheid occupation.
READ: President Geingob Addresses the UN General Assembly
As the new Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, President Geingob called for peaceful general elections in the Kingdom of Lesotho on the 7th of October 2022.
President Geingob further stated that the exclusion of Africa from the Security Council is an injustice and called for urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council. President Geingob stated that Namibia pledged unwavering solidarity with nations that continue to bear the heavy brunt of sanctions. "Namibia reiterates its longstanding call for the lifting of the unjust embargo against Cuba. Equally, we call for the lifting of sanctions against the Republic of Zimbabwe", the President said.
On the margins of UNGA 77, President Geingob was the main speaker at the Namibia Investment Summit, organised by the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDP). During the Summit, President Geingob emphasized the fact that Namibia was ready to welcome investments in strategic sectors of the economy, including renewable energy, green hydrogen and manufacturing because the country was stable, peaceful and with a robust governance architecture in place.
President Geingob, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, met with Former President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Chairperson of the SADC Panel of Elders, accompanied by SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi, and they discussed matters of the Organ on 23 September 2022. The working meeting focused on the work of the Organ. During the meeting, President Geingob emphasized dialogue and consultations as indispensable to peace and security in the SADC region. The two leaders exchanged views on the implementation of SADC Decisions pertaining to the Republic of Mozambique, the Kingdoms of Eswatini and Lesotho.
On Sunday, 25 September, President Geingob also met with H.E. Moussa Faki Ahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), and the two leaders discussed issues on the Continental Agenda, including peace, security and development in the SADC region.
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In addition to overseeing the successful delegation of the 12th Board Meeting of the Africa Renewable Initiative, President Geingob, on 26 September 2022, received a courtesy call from Mr. Maurice Tempelsman, a long-standing friend of Namibia.
On 28 September 2022, President Geingob met with Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of the State of Qatar to exchange words and greetings. President Geingob emphasized the growing importance of Namibia's partnership with Qatar and the need for the two countries to accelerate economic exchanges in order to grow the Namibian economy and unemployment.
President Geingob concluded the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly with a courtesy call from Ambassador Linda Thomas- Greenfield during which several issues in US-Namibia relations were discussed.
President Geingob was accompanied to the United Nations General Assembly by the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, who represented the Head of State to Meetings of the Oceans' Panel; the Director General of the National Planning Commission who represented the President to the Summit of the UN Secretary-General on the Sustainable Development Goals Moment on 19 September, and also helmed the 12th Board Meeting of the Africa Renewable Energy Meeting on 26 September; the Minister of Basic Education and Culture who participated in the Transforming Education Summit, the Minister of Mines and Energy, the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation who all participated in several thematic meetings of UNGA and the Governor of the Oshana Region Hon. Elia Irimari.
President Geingob returned to Namibia on 29 September 2022.
