Chinese Ambassador to Namibia, Zhao Weiping, says Beijing is committed to supporting Windhoek’s efforts to develop a skilled workforce to fuel its expanding sectors, including oil, gas and green hydrogen.
According to the Ambassador, Namibia’s industrialisation goals, particularly in agriculture and energy, call for a skilled workforce, and the training cooperation with China aims to address this need.
“With this background in mind, we should all work even harder to further expand China-Namibia training cooperation. Namibia is in great need of skilled workforce in various fields, as the land of [the] brave is determined to push forward its industrialisation and agricultural modernisation program as well as major projects in oil and gas and green hydrogen development,” he said.
He further explained that the two countries are working on the potential signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on technical and vocational education cooperation.
The MoU would strengthen collaborations between educational institutions, facilitating the sharing of knowledge and expertise in certain fields.
“Our two sides are discussing the signing of MoU on cooperation in the field of technical and vocational education training. I hope we can conclude the discussion and sign the MoU at an early date,” he said.
Currently, China offers two types of programmes for Namibians – multilateral programs, which include participants from multiple countries, and bilateral programmes, which are exclusive to Namibia.
Zhao suggested an increase in bilateral training programmes, designed specifically to meet Namibia’s unique workforce needs.
To further enhance accessibility, he proposed that more of these programmes be hosted within Namibia, allowing a larger number of locals to benefit.
“These programmes can be held in China or in Namibia. We should increase programmes to be held in Namibia so that more people can enjoy the benefits,” he said.
Zhao also said that China’s training programmes are part of its larger commitment to human capital development across the Global South, especially in Africa.
In a recent announcement at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined China’s initiatives to support African workforce development, including 60,000 training opportunities across the continent, focusing on women and youth.
