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Namibia hosted the annual summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) this month. Namibia and Germany have signed a new N$2 billion (about 135 million Euros) cooperation agreement. Petrol and diesel prices increased by 25 cents a litre. The Director-General of the international Labour Organisation, Guy Riders visited Namibia. President Hage Geingob travelled to Indonesia and China at the end of August.  

It is three months now since a heavy shower of over 50 mm came down in and around Lüderitz on May 17th. It revived many flowers that had not bloomed for years, or even worn leaves. Seeds which had slumbered in the parched soil for ages, awakened to life. The greenery and the colours are not short-lived, however: delicate pink blossoms are still to be admired, lush green stands out against the greys and browns of the desert floor, large patches turn yellow and insects are out and about everywhere.

In the middle of May a Windhoek resident called to tell me that her father-in-law had brought an injured pearl-spotted owlet with a ringed leg to her house. He had picked it up from a busy road in Klein Windhoek earlier that morning. She asked if I wanted to care for the owlet. When I brought the small bird home I noticed that I had actually ringed it myself. Owlet number 5H63061 had probably been hit by a vehicle.

Many people perceive the Marabou Stork as ugly or describe it as an old man wearing a tailcoat. Some call it the “undertaker bird”. The Marabou is a large member of the stork family, just under 1.5 metres tall. Since they are highly effective scavengers these storks are very useful to people. Marabou Storks are classified as “possibly endangered” in Namibia. 

Namibia is on an industrialisation drive and aims to become an international logistics hub for Southern Africa by 2025. The port of Walvis Bay is one of the key elements within these ambitious plans. A new container terminal of 40 hectares is currently constructed and will start operations in early 2019. A brand-new port is on the drawing cards and this goes hand in hand with a huge industrial park planned in close proximity.