Right Honorable Dr. Elijah Ngurare, Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia

Honorable Dr. Sanet Steenkamp, Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture,

All the Senior Namibian Government Officials Present,

Friends from the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

It’s my distinct honor to join Right Honorable Prime Minister for the official handover of China-aided satellite ground data receiving station. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Her Excellency President Ndaitwah for delegating Honorable Prime Minister to grace this important occasion and for Her Excellency’s strong leadership in promoting China-Namibia friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation.

I also want to thank Honorable Minister Steenkemp and her esteemed Ministry for organizing this event and for all the support they have given to the bilateral cooperation in the areas of their important portfolio. Through my engagement with Minister Steenkemp and her colleagues, I know they have been working very hard to serve the Namibian people.

The Satellite Ground Data Receiving Station is the first development assistance project of high-tech nature China has conducted in Namibia, which has vividly demonstrated China’s strong willingness to support African countries’ efforts of advancing their science and technology development.

The handover of this project means that Namibia has been equipped with basic capabilities of receiving and processing remote sensing satellite data. However, we will not just stop here. We will soon carry out the second phase of the project by working closely together.

Once the second phase of the project is accomplished, Namibia will acquire the complete capabilities of receiving and processing remote sensing satellite data and using it for various applications and research activities which will bring tangible benefits to Namibia by accommodating the extensive needs of monitoring, surveillance, planning and management.

I am pleased to note that this Satellite Ground Data Receiving Station will be fully run by the Namibian side. The Chinese side has already trained relevant technicians selected by the Namibian side, who have acquired all the abilities for independent operations. And the Chinese side will continue to provide training assistance in future.

Ladies and Gentlemen, China and Namibia have been close development partners ever since the establishment of the diplomatic relations 36 years ago.

We know Namibia has entered into a critical period of its national development, as Her Excellency President Ndaitwah and the Namibian Government have set up grand goals for Namibia’s social and economic development. We applaud the great efforts the Namibian Government and people are making under the strong leadership of President Ndaitwah, and we are firmly determined as always to continue providing our support and help.

2026 must be a year of hardwork and great achievement, as it is the year of horse according to the Chinese lunar calendar, and we all know what horse symbolizes. It certainly requires us to move faster and achieve more.

I wish to use this opportunity to assure our Namibian friends that the Chinese side is ready to implement more development assistance projects this year, as we have recently informed our Namibian friends that the Chinese Government has decided to provide new grant to Namibia which will be used for the jointly agreed projects.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in conclusion, I wish to thank Rt. Honorable Prime Minister again for attending and addressing this important event. I believe, with the strategic guidance of the leaders cf our two countries and the concerted efforts of both sides, China-Namibia relations will score even greater achievements in this vigorous and fruitful year of horse and bring more tangible benefits to our two peoples.

Let me also thank the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture and all the Namibian government agencies for their support to the implementation of this project. My thanks also go to the Earth Observation System and Data Center of China National Space Administration, China Center for Resources Satellite Data and Application and China Jiangsu International Namibia Ltd for their contribution.

Thank you.