Katima:Katima Campus The University of Namibia (UNAM) and six other universities from Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have signed a five-year consortium agreement to enhance research, teaching, and collaboration within the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). This initiative aims to strengthen the world's largest conservation landscape, which covers approximately 520,000 km² and includes 19 national parks across five countries.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the agreement, effective until 2030, was formalized at the Katima Campus with the presence of vice-chancellors and delegates who shared their strategic visions for the collaboration. Dr. Nyambe Nyambe, the Executive Director of the KAZA TFCA Secretariat, emphasized that the agreement is a commitment to generating impactful knowledge, creating enduring solutions, and preparing future leaders.

Dr. Nyambe highlighted the agreement's theme, 'Charting a Shared Future From Commitment to Collective Action,' stressing its importance in uniting the five nations for biodiversity conservation, wildlife corridor connectivity, and sustainable livelihood promotion. He noted that challenges such as climate variability, biodiversity loss, and youth unemployment require collective efforts from the universities involved due to their substantial intellectual resources.

UNAM Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kenneth Matengu, urged academics to focus on producing research that offers practical insights for policymakers and communities. Meanwhile, Professor David Norris, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Botswana, stated that his university would focus on human-wildlife interaction, natural resource management, and transboundary water resources governance as part of their contribution to the partnership.

Other universities participating in the consortium include the University of Zimbabwe, the National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe), Lupane State University (Zimbabwe), Copperbelt University (Zambia), and the University of Zambia.