Equiping the Namibian child

Octavia Tsibes
Octavia Tsibes

In December 2003 an Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement was signed between the Chinese Government and the Namibian Government.

In the same year during the visit of the President of the Republic of China, His Excellency Hu Jintao announced that Namibia amongst others would receive a range of additional financial assistance in a form of grants and loans. It included inter alia, an interest free loan worth RMB Yuan Hundreds (100) million, for the construction of the national Youth Service Training Centre.

The National Youth Service offers a three phase training programme to the Namibian youth for free namely civic training, voluntary service and skills training.

The centre was to be constructed in two phases, phase one of the project begun in 2011 and completed in 2015. The first phase includes five workshops, administration block with a resource centre ,a kitchen and dining hall, trainees sleeping quarters which provide accommodations for 800 trainees, 16 classrooms, 16 staff houses and netball and basketball courts.

Phase two is anticipated to commence towards the end of October 2017 and it will include one workshop, a health clinic, and accommodation facilities for 800 trainees, fencing off of these additional infrastructure and a FIFA standard sport stadium with a pavilion. This phase is estimated to cost around RMB 84.89 million and will be funded through a grant by the government of the People`s Republic of China.

“ In order to benefit more Namibian youth and emphasize the importance of career training, in August, 2015 both Government signed the exchange of letters, agreeing to do the phase 2 for this NYS centre using Chinese grant of around N$170 million,” Liu Huabo, Economic and Commercial Counsellor said.

Huabo further says that China values its friendship with Namibia, and the Chinese government. “Since the founding of diplomatic ties between us in 1990, our bilateral relations have made much headway, with growing trade and economic cooperation and fruitful exchange and coorperation in education, infrastructure, fishery, public health, agriculture and other fields,” Huobo said.

“The National Youth Service is a very important institution for our country because of its mandate,”Otto Iipinge the governer of Otjozondjupa said.

He further says that as a region they continue to embrace the presence of the national youth training centre in their region. The training centre is contributing greatly to the social and economic development of Namibia.

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-23

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