International University of Management (IUM)’s founder and chairperson, Professor David Namwandi, has emphasised the importance of investing in research and development in order to better tackle the challenges Namibia faces.

He was speaking during a ground-breaking ceremony for the IUM Swakopmund Research, Training and Conference Centre on Monday.

“Nations who invest heavily in research and development prosper, while those who do not, remain poor. Therefore we believe our salvation is in applied research, which ultimately provides tangible and practical solutions to the many challenges we face,” Namwandi stated.

The IUM chairperson said the centre will also create employment.

According to Namwandi, once completed, the research, training and conference centre will focus on applied research, amongst others on making the coast more attractive to international tourists and investors.

“Similarly, the coastal areas are blessed with a powerful fishing industry and with applied research, this industry can be assisted to generate various production units for resources to generate value addition, thus creating jobs,” he said.

The centre will also focus on offering training in research.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency