Shanghai is a city within a garden – Mayor of Windhoek expresses eagerness to learn from friendly city Shanghai in green technology and other fields
From May 28 to 31, the World Mayor Dialogue: Shanghai and the 2025 Shanghai International Friendly Cities Cooperation Forum took place in Shanghai. Prior to the forum, Necky Hafeira Laranja, the Mayor of Windhoek, Namibia, participated in a media interview.
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of Namibia. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the friendship between Windhoek and Shanghai. Since the establishment of this partnership, the two cities have engaged in friendly exchanges across various fields including trade, energy, health, and personnel training, achieving positive results. Laranja expressed, “Over the past 30 years, both our countries have greatly benefited from this friendship.”
A memorable initiative for Laranja is the “Window to Shanghai” project. In May 2011, the Shanghai Library officially opened a “Window to Shanghai” at the “Greenwell Matongo” community library in Windhoek. “Through the Window to Shanghai project, we received nearly 2,000 books donated by Shanghai, particularly in the early education sector, which has benefited many people in Namibia.”
Strengthening cooperation in green technology and energy is also a concern for Laranja. She stated that Windhoek is committed to becoming a sustainable city and looks forward to further learning from its sister city Shanghai to build a greener urban environment. “One of the most urgent challenges we face is the utilization of renewable energy.” Laranja explained that Namibia heavily relies on non-renewable energy, and to create a more sustainable city, there is a need to shift towards renewable energy sources like solar power. She hopes to gain more support and assistance in renewable energy through collaboration with Shanghai.
Windhoek is not only a well-known tourist destination but is also regarded as Africa’s cleanest garden capital. Upon arriving in Shanghai, Laranja remarked that the city feels like a garden with greenery everywhere, giving the impression of being surrounded by a forest. “From this perspective, I believe Shanghai is greener than Windhoek.”
Regarding future cooperation between the two cities, Laranja noted that the world is continually evolving, and there is a desire for increased collaboration in technology development and innovation. For example, the two cities could work together under the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to promote the construction and development of sustainable cities, with many exciting collaborative projects to look forward to.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/windhoek-mayor-envisions-enhanced-cooperation-with-shanghai-in-green-technology-and-sustainable-development/
