18 November 2016Official weekly newsletter of NUST

Namibia University of Science and TechnologyNUST_Namibia

@NUST_Namibia

NUST BRIEFwebsite: www.nust.na

NUST wishes students all the best with the final exams!

The two institutions originally signed an agreement in 2002 which enabled 56 students from Germany to attend a Semester Abroad and Summer School programmes at NUST. Equally, several Namibian students participated in exchange programmes to Germany. In addition, several academics and administrators have been exchanged over that period.

This year, three NUST students from the Department of Mining and Process Engineering received scholarships to attend a two-week Summer School in Germany that focused on renewable energy themes. The new agreement will continue to address developmental issues that benefit from information exchange, staff and student collaboration and exchange, joint research and innovation.

Prof Gabriele Beibst, the President of EAH Jena University, welcomed the cooperation. “Both our universities have undergone a transformation recently, specifically pertaining to the change of names and this MoU has come at an opportune time,” Beibst said. The name

change of EAH Jena University, previously known as FH Jena, was necessitated to clarify the competencies of the university in the areas of teaching and research.

Dr Tjama Tjivikua, the Vice-Chancellor of NUST, spoke highly of the relations between the two universities, highlighting the challenges that have been overcome through this MoU. “Most of our students come from disadvantaged communities and find it extremely difficult to raise financial resources on their own to enable them to participate in international exchange programmes. It is in this regard, that we highly appreciate the scholarships under the previous agreements which have enabled our students to spend time abroad,” Tjivikua remarked.

Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, the Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation, and Germany’s Wolfgang Tiefensee, the Thüringia State Minister for Economy, Science and Digital Society, were present at the signing of the MoU and complimented the partnership.

NUST renews agreement with German universityNUST and the Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule (EAH) Jena University of Applied Sciences in Germany have renewed a long-standing partnership with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last week.

The programme is a Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Use (SASSCAL) project, and aims to develop national and regional capacity in earth observation systems and applications for the management of natural resources. Currently 14 students, of which eight are female, have commenced their studies in this programme with scholarships that have been availed by the German government through SASSCAL. Botswana, Angola, South Africa and Zambia are involved in the project through collaborative programme development, teaching, learning and research.

The Director of Research and Training in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Johanna Andowa, highlighted several areas in her ministry that will be improved as a result of the introduction of this programme. “The capacity to capture, archive, analyse and disseminate remotely observed data and information at regional level is limited. This postgraduate programme is a great contribution to enhancing the management of natural resources in the SADC

region,” Andowa said.

NUST Vice-Chancellor, Dr Tjama Tjivikua, said challenges such as food security, climate change and humanitarian assistance after natural disasters require holistic approaches that could be addressed through tailor-made educational programmes. He added that such programmes will facilitate the production of graduates who are ready to contribute to informed decision-making, sustainable spatial planning and management of the environment.

One of the students in the first group, Simwanza Liswaniso, expressed his gratitude to the parties involved in the initiative. “It is an honour to be part of this group and we will certainly give our best to ensure that we live up to the expectations that have been placed on us,” he said. Dr Yonah Seleti, the SASSCAL Executive Director, announced the Centre’s future plans to intensify its research efforts and involvement in the programme.

The second cohort of students will be hosted at the University of Zambia and the third at the University of Botswana.

New Master’s degree in GeoinformationNUST has officially launched a new Master’s programme that will be known as the Master of Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation degree.

RLabs is a concept that originated in South Africa and has been implemented internationally. The core activities of this social enterprise are skills training, community development, social and disruptive innovation, mobile and internet solutions, social enterprise incubation, impact investing and social franchising.

The graduates completed a series of free short courses in events planning, social innovation, social media, entrepreneurship, project management and photography. The initiative strictly targets unemployed youth with the aim to address the challenges in Namibian communities.

Dr Inaani Kahikuata, Director: Youth Development in the Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service, said that strengthening the country’s formal education system remains the government’s focal point. The Finnish Ambassador to Namibia, Anne Saloranta, also emphasised the importance of offering training to marginalised youth. “It is important to learn for sustainable future employment based on demand in labour

markets. The RLabs programme exposes the graduates to real-life jobs where they can practise their newly acquired skills and receive payment based on the services delivered,” Saloranta said.

Last year, RLabs received N$1.6 million from the Embassy of Finland’s Fund for Local Co-operation (FLC).

Prof Errol Tyobeka, the Special Adviser to the Vice-Chancellor, congratulated the graduates and highlighted the significance of the event. ”Today’s graduation ceremony is significant because it illustrates how NUST has successfully combined teaching, research and community engagement, supported through international collaborations, in order to tackle national challenges. It is in this context that our University continuously strives to innovate and find solutions that would better the lives of people in our communities,” he remarked.

More than 200 youths have been trained since 2011 when RLabs was established at NUST.

Unemployed youth graduateA cohort of 105 students graduated from NUST’s Reconstructed Living Labs (RLabs) facilitated under the auspices of the Namibia Business Innovation institute (NBII) with support from the Government of Finland.

Front row, from left: Brent Williams, Operations Director: RLabs Head Office (in blue trousers); Prof Errol Tyobeka, Special Adviser to the VC; HE Anne Saloranta, Finnish Ambassador; Dr Inaani Kahikuata, Director: Youth Development, Ministry of Sport, Youth and National Service; Vido Tjozongoro, MMI Holdings Group Marketing, Branding and CSI Specialist, pictured with graduates and staff members.

Front row, from left: Prof Julius Atlhopheng, Dean: Faculty of Science, University of Botswana, (fourth from left); Johanna Andowa, Director: Research and Training, Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry; Dr Tjama Tjivikua, NUST Vice-Chancellor and Dr Yonah Seleti, Director: SASSCAL, pictured with other partners in the projects, staff and students.

Front row, from left: Hon Wolfgang Tiefensee, Thüringia State Minister for Economy, Science and Digital Society (3rd from left); Prof Gabriele Beibst, President of Ernst-Abbe-Hochshule Jena University of Applied Sciences; Dr Tjama Tjivikua, NUST Vice-Chancellor; Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation; HE Andreas Guibeb, Namibian Ambassador to Germany, pictured with other dignitaries and NUST Management members who attended the signing of the MoU.