On Sunday is the National Day of Namibia which marks the end of the Namibian War of Independence in 1990. On this day, many Namibians take time off from work to join celebrations in major cities and towns across the country. Government offices are closed. Major celebrations usually happen in the capital, Windhoek, with parades and programs attended by government leaders.

Namibia, in southern Africa on the Atlantic coast, shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south. It gained independence from South Africa in 1990 and its capital city is Windhoek (German: Windhuk).

Namibia is a member-state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), and the Commonwealth of Nations. It is named after the Namib Desert.

In early times, Namibia was inhabited by Bushmen, Damara, Namaqua, and, since about the 14th century, AD, by immigrating Bantu who came with the Bantu expansion. In the 19th century, the country was explored by Europeans and the land came under German control as South West Africa – apart from Walvis Bay, which was under British rule.

In 1968, the South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration of Namibia, in accordance with a United Nations peace plan for the region. Independence came in 1990, and Walvis Bay was ceded to Namibia in 1994.

Namibia's economy consists primarily of mining and manufacturing. It is the fourth largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth largest producer of uranium. There has been significant investment in uranium mining and Namibia is set to become the largest exporter of uranium by 2015. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source of gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten.

We congratulate the people and government of Namibia led by Their Excellencies, President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Prime Minister Nahas Angula, on the occasion of their National Day.