Namibia: Opening of regional office

DW Akademie is now officially represented in Namibia. The new regional office is located on the premises of the Goethe Centre in Windhoek and was opened at a reception held Friday, March 3rd. Guests included Namibian media representatives and the German ambassador to Namibia, Egon Kochanke.

"Our new office sets a clear signal that DW will be deepening its commitment in Namibia," says the head of DW Akademie's Africa division, Carsten von Nahmen.

"Our projects there have been successful over the past 20 years but we'd like to do more," says DW Akademie managing director Gerda Meuer. "We'd like our trainings for journalists and media producers to have even more effective and enduring impact by hiring consultants and trainers for longer periods." The goal is to support responsible and professional journalism and to enable local media to secure long-term financing. Meuer traveled to Namibia together with Ansgar Burghof, the head of the DW director general's office, to attend the official opening.

Workshop for radio journalists in Windhoek

In cooperation with NBC

Local reporting is the focus of this long-term project for southern Africa. Workshops and consulting services are aimed primarily at community media and independent radio stations in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Malawi. Also included are local affiliates of national radio stations such as the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) - DW Akademie's main partner in Namibia.

NBC has also been designated to become a partner in DW Akademie's pan-African flagship project "Learning is fun!" Current partners are located in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. NBC will receive support in developing its own formats for nationwide radio and TV educational programs for children. The reception at the Goethe Centre provided an opportunity to seal this cooperation: DW and NBC signed a memorandum of understanding.

Ulrike Müller-Haupt will be on-site in Windhoek and on behalf of DW Akademie will have the main responsibility for the project. As a member of a German "Senior Expert Service" she and DW Akademie will be working together to support NBC in developing the children’s programs starting in May. Until recently, Müller-Haupt was a managing editor for children’s programs at WDR (West German Broadcasting Corporation) in Cologne.

This year DW Akademie is holding four workshops in Windhoek for journalists and media executives. Two workshops were completed on the day of the official opening and participants were awarded their certificates at the reception.

Several representatives from DW partner broadcasters and German foundations also attended the function, as did some 40 alumni who had taken part in DW Akademie workshops conducted between 1989 and 2012.