Support to Building of a Sustainable Mineral Sector and Facilitating Responsible Use of Mineral Resources in Namibia

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The ICI Project (Institutional Cooperation Instrument for cooperation between state actors in the partner country and in Finland) between the Geolocical Survey of Finland (GTK) and the Geological Survey of Namibia (GSN) strengthens the capacity of the Geochemistry and Laboratory Division of GSN to offer companies and auhtorities services that support the decision making and administration of the mineral sector. The Project contributes to GSN's need for improving its capacity in geochemical analysis and in generating information needed by the mineral sector as well as developing data management systems. The overall objective, environmentally and socio-economically sustainable use of georesources, is closely linked to the strategic objectives of GSN and the Namibian Ministry for Mines and Energy, MME. The cooperation in the mineral sector between Finland and Namibia started in the 1990's, and it has enabled Namibia to capitalize on Finnish expertise in developing their own capacity. The cooperation also has an impact on how Finland is seen as an actor in the mineral sector. Maintaining good relations with governmental bodies is important groundwork for providing cooperation opportunities for Finnish companies in Namibia. The two-year Project will include training and cooperation in both Finland and Namibia. The budget of the Project is approximately 500 000 euros. The Project is linked to one of the Finnish Development Policy's priority areas: sustainable management of natural resources and environmental protection. Environment is also one of the priority areas of Finland's development cooperation in Southern Africa. Cooperation between Finland and Namibia is implemented through various partnerships as well as in regional projects. There is still a need for capacity building in Nambia, and this need can be met through the ICI instrument . Direct beneficiaries of the Project are the staff of GSN, whose skills and capacity are strengthened. Final beneficiaries are the Namibian people, as a sustainable and efficient mineral sector contributes to generating welfare and jobs.