THE Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) on Tuesday voted to support a resolution for the twinning of Kingston and Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia.

The twinning is expected to cement and develop the historic and cultural ties between the Jamaican and the Namibian capital cities.

According to the resolution, the city of Windhoek used diplomatic channels to develop the initiative for the twinning of the cities.

“Both cities, which share deep cultural, creative and historic ties, “have agreed to pursue and solidify the relationship through various initiatives such as, but not limited to: trade in goods and services, youth participation in governance, community empowerment and local economic development,” the resolution stated,

Councillor Vernon McLeod, who moved the resolution, said Namibia, which was a former protectorate of Germany, is 75 times the size of Jamaica. “Several languages are spoken in Namibia but English is the official language,” he said.

Namibia, according to the World Population Review publication of December 2017, has an approximate population of 2.5 million people.

McLeod, who pointed out that Jamaica’s tourism industry was much more developed, than tourism in Namibia, said that the twinning of the cities would enable exchanges that would benefit both countries.

People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor Kari Douglas (Trafalgar Divison), who seconded the resolution, said that her research had revealed that Windhoek is a modern, well-groomed, properly managed and maintained city.

“I am also impressed by the adherence to the city’s zoning laws and building code which is evident in the execution of development plans and configuration of sites and buildings throughout the city,” she said.

Douglas said that although the resolution was to be sent to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development for support, where the twinning of any two cities produced tangible benefits for local community development, the city and its citizenry led by the KSAMC should not be forgotten. She argued that in the execution and development of programmes evolving from the twinning of cities, the KSAMC should play a leading role.

PNP Councillor Eugene Kelly (Whitfield Division) urged the council to also send the resolution to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the development of any possible business ties. Questioning the tangible gains that had been made through the twinning of cities, Kelly said that it should be more than public relations.

— Claudienne Edwards