MTC, NUST and Huawei have entered into a tripartite cooperation agreement to promote research, innovation, technological and entrepreneurial excellence, and internationalisation, with the goal of positioning Namibia as a digitally-driven nation.
The collaboration will concentrate on professional development, curriculum co-development, student placement for research and in-service training, student excursions and field attachments to promote professional development and capacity building, funding, technology R&D and co-creation, E-Learning enabled by 4IR technologies, service delivery and commercialisation, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data warehousing.
NUST Vice-Chancellor Erold Naomab told Nampa on Thursday that in its Strategic Plan for 2021-2025, NUST aspires to be a leader in Namibia’s research, innovation, partnership and entrepreneurship ecosystem, and that it is these goals that commit the institution to constantly rethink how they engage their stakeholders and communities.
“We derive value and relevance for our academic programmes and research from interactions and collaborations with leading institutions such as MTC and Huawei. With Huawei on board, this new trilateral collaboration will strengthen NUST and MTC’s ability to improve and broaden engagements in innovation and research,” he said.
He added that the Smart Campus Initiative will strengthen yet another nexus of university-industry-community collaboration that can unlock specialised expertise and investment opportunities.
MTC Chief Human Capital, Corporate and Marketing Officer, Tim Ekandjo emphasised the importance of 5G for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
“As we embrace and drive research and innovation, we are pleased that as a country, we have completed an impactful 4IR Conference that kick-starts Namibia’s exciting journey on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is critical that a conducive policy framework is in place to encourage rather than inhibit participation,” he said.
According to Huawei’s Managing Director, David Yu, one of Huawei’s roles in this collaboration is not only to educate students but also to train staff. When teachers are digitally literate and trained to use ICT tools and platforms, it leads to higher-order thinking skills, creative options for students to express their understandings, and students who are better prepared to deal with ongoing technological change in society and the workplace.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
