Ladies and Gentlemen;
I am excited to stand before you to witness the evolution of a remarkable partnership between Namibia and the European Union. This partnership, grounded in the common interests of forging a more equitable and sustainable world, seeks to deepen our cooperation and broaden our areas of mutual collaboration as we both seek to construct sustainable industrial clusters in our respective jurisdictions. In the pursuit of a greener and cleaner future, both Namibia and the European Union share a deep and practical commitment to engender a just energy transition. A clean energy eco-system requires more mineral resources than one that primarily relies on fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency estimates that to limit global warming to 1.5 Degrees Celsius, the Clean Energy investment needed by the end of this decade results in a 400% increase in demand for critical minerals. A typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car and an offshore wind plant requires 13 times more mineral resources than a similarly sized gas-fired plant. Namibia is willing to rise up to the challenge.

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