President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is in Luanda, Angola, to attend the African Union (AU) Extraordinary Summit on peace and security in Africa.
The summit brings together African leaders to discuss ways of preventing and resolving conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. Its main theme is "Strengthening Mechanisms for Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa".
The main goal of the summit is to find better ways to prevent conflicts, stop violence and help countries resolve disputes through dialogue before they escalate into war.
The summit is attended by presidents and heads of state from African Union member countries, with Namibia represented by President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
Speaking to NBC News, Presidential Press Secretary Jonas Mbambo referred to ongoing conflicts in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
He says where there is conflict, there can be no lasting peace, making the summit's focus on conflict prevention and resolution important.
"We can talk about building schools, trade and investment, but when we are fighting, nothing can ever grow. That is basically what is going to be the crust of the conversation as leaders, including our own president, come together to figure out how it is that we as Africans, who actually do not manufacture military hardware, as a matter of fact, the world last year, according to some statistics, is paying over $3 trillion on military hardware. Africa has very little to account for that number, but at the end of the day, Africa is the one that pays the price in terms of the lives that are lost and the peace that is disturbed.'
Mbambo says that, although Namibia gained its independence through an armed struggle, the country has always been an advocate for diplomacy.
He says Namibia's history shows that all diplomatic efforts with the apartheid South African government were exhausted before the country was forced to take up arms in its struggle for independence.
"Before anything else, we believe that dialogue, through talking to one another, is the only way we can come up with resolving our problems in a peaceful manner. That is the outcome we are looking for. It is not going to happen overnight, but until a time we believe that through dialogue is the only way we can resolve our problems. As Africans we really need to put our heads together to understand that we are the ones that can solve our problems."