Between 1904 and 1908, German troops took part in a bloody conflict in the southern parts of Africa.
The ethnic group Herero and Nama protested against the colonization and were met with deadly violence.
Something that almost exterminated the ethnic groups.
Those who were not killed were dragged out into the desert and forced into slave labor.
The people who tried to return from the desert to their homes were sent to concentration camps.
The systematic killing has been described by historians as a source of inspiration for the Holocaust.
"A genocide"
Germany and Namibia have been discussing financial compensation for the genocide since 2015.
- Our goal is reconciliation in memory of the victims.
This also means calling the events that took place during the German colonial era in present-day Namibia what it is - a genocide, says German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in a statement.
According to German media, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has plans to go down to Namibia and personally present Germany's apology to parliament.
"Irreversible damage"
A spokesman for Namibian President Hage Geingod told AFP that Germany's message was "a first step in the right direction".
Descendants of the people who were killed are not at all as positive:
- We have problems with this type of agreement because we experience it as a money-driven betrayal by the Namibian government, says Herero leader Vekuii Rukoro. He believes that it is not enough to repair the "irreversible damage" that the colonial government meant for the ethnic groups