The Chinese business community in Namibia has donated 136,000 USD to support the country’s drought relief efforts.
The Southern African country has been hit by a lengthy drought, considered the worst in 90 years. President Hage Geingob on May 6 declared the drought a national disaster.
The drought has affected 23 arid and semi-arid counties and pockets of other areas.
The Chinese embassy in Namibia handed over the donation on Monday to the country’s Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila on behalf of the Chinese community.
Speaking at the handover Kuugongelwa-Amadhila thanked the Chinese community for the assistance that has been rendered to Namibia over the years due to recurring droughts.
The Prime Minister thanked the Chinese community for their donation and called on Namibians to increase efforts aimed at building resilience.
On his part, Chinese Ambassador to Namibia Zhang Yiming, pledged China’s continued support, saying the two countries were “all-weather friends”.
“We hope under the government, this situation can be overcome,” he said, adding that the around 4,000 Chinese businesses operating in Namibia assisted with the donation.
