A delegation from the European Union embarked on a significant tour of various conservation and development projects funded by the EU across Namibia.
The European Union Ambassador to Namibia, Ana Beatriz Martins, was joined by Ambassadors to Namibia from Germany, France, Spain, and Ireland.
Their first stop was at a chilli and poultry farming project in the Mayuni conservancy, followed by crocodile and lion-proof kraal sites in the Kwandu conservancy, funded through the sustainable wildlife management project as commissioned by France and the European Union.
The French Ambassador to Namibia, Sebastien Minot, said the sites represent a particular interest in biodiversity as well as Namibia's efforts at wildlife conservation.
"One of the areas of interest we have is biodiversity, human and wildlife conflict, and one of the projects we are visiting here is called SWM, sustainable wildlife management. It's an ambitious project supported by the European Union and France; it's about improving the livelihoods of the inhabitants in the conservancy."
So far, 140 lion-proof kraals have been constructed, with an additional 20 more expected to be put up across the region's 13 conservancies to help mitigate the loss of domestic animals to wildlife attacks.
The group also visited the Mudumu National Park Office, which has received support from Germany for the last 12 years, through the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA).
The Ministry of Environment Control's Warden for Wildlife and National Park Division in Zambezi said the continuous support has helped improve infrastructure, working conditions, and service delivery around Namibian parks and conservation areas.
Germany's Ambassador to Namibia, Thorsten Hutter, said the visit by the delegation is important in seeing first-hand the success and challenges of various projects.
"We are here because we want to underline to what extent the European Union—we call it the Team Euro—is present in the region in projects that we as the delegation and member states are involved in, and for me, it's an opportunity to also see what progress has been made."
Other projects visited include the extension of the UNAM Katima Mulilo campus's department for wildlife management and ecotourism, the Zambezi vocational training centre's department for agriculture, and the Nampost PostFin funding facility.