Stefanus Nashama
National Assembly Speaker, Porfessor Peter Katjavivi, has acknowledged Türkiye’s efforts to render support for digital transformation in Namibian Parliament through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).
Katjavivi made the compliment when Turkish Ambassador, Feral Oruçkaptan, and TIKA Country Coordinator, Anydin Apaydin paid a courtesy call to him at Parliament yesterday.
According to Katjavivi, TIKA is currently assisting the National Assembly in its quest for digital transformation by digitalising its conference rooms, through the recently launched e-parliament strategy.
TIKA is an agency of the Turkish government focusing on development cooperation in Namibia.
“We are extremely grateful that Turkey, despite having gone through the devastation of an earthquake you are still helping us to fully digitalise our conference rooms,” Katajvivi noted.
The full digitalisation of conference rooms and the Parliament Chamber will be completed in the next two months, according to TIKA.
Apaydin revealed there is a plan for TIKA to set up a Parliament Museum that would be displaying and preserving Namibia’s democratic heritage.
Earlier this year, Katjavivi also revealed the plans to set up a Namibia-Turkey Parliamentary friendship group to exchange knowledge and skills between the two countries.
He said there is a need to enhance investment cooperation between Namibia and Turkey and devise a strategy aimed at exploring potential areas of cooperation.
“We need to promote exchange visits to connect the leadership of both parliaments to be able to see areas of possible cooperation. We could also make use of our consuls to promote investment,” he suggested.
Meanwhile, Oruçkaptan noted the investment between Namibia and Türkiye is at a low level, and for that reason, it needs to be enhanced.
According to her, both trade and investment between Namibia and Türkiye were negligible, which now reflects a need for investment promotion.
She said many Turkish business people do not have sufficient knowledge concerning Southern African Customs Union requirements, adding that Turkish business people do not have a competitive advantage and are reluctant to invest.
“There is a need to create awareness and I will make sure that there are exchanges at both business and parliament level during my tenure to promote cooperation,” she said. According to Parliament, Namibia- Türkiye relations date back before Namibia gained its independence.
In 2022, the two countries marked their 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
