Former President Hifikepunye Pohamba has asked that every family in the Oukwanyama Traditional Authority pay US$ 0.56 towards the implementation of the Oukwanyama Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) Satellite Campus Project in Eenhana.
According to Mr. Pohamba the project requires more than US$ 56M, and despite the fact that this is a large sum, he believes that the area will be able to reach its goal with dedication and unity of purpose.
Fundraising efforts launched last year for the project yielded US$ 112K, half of which has already been placed in Nust’s bank account, according to Pohamba who also stated that the fundraising campaign is still ongoing.
Call for investment in knowledge and skills
Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, the Prime Minister of Zambia told the Southern African country citizens that they must be prepared to invest in knowledge and skills since there is no better investment the government can make than in its citizens’ education.
The minister stated that the institution will deliver education to a large number of individuals and that the campus’s formation demonstrates Nust’s commitment to meeting Namibia’s human resource demands in all corners of the country, and ensuring that the country can fully harness its human resources to optimize national growth.
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Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said that, having recognized the challenges that rural-urban migration poses to urban development, particularly in Windhoek, the establishment of satellite campuses can help expand services to rural areas and lower the costs of access to higher education for communities.
Significance of the Nust Satellite Campus in Oukwanyama and similar projects
According to the PM, the Nust satellite campus in Eenhana promotes more inclusion and access for rural areas and creates new employment prospects. More campuses are also planned to accommodate students who are unable to travel far from home due to family obligations, employment duties, or financial restraints and reduce rural-urban migration.
Campuses, she adds, are well-positioned to fulfill the needs of their communities and contribute to local growth via research, entrepreneurship, and community involvement. Walde Ndevashiya, the regional governor of Ohangwena, stated that the creation of the Nust Eenhana campus will offer remedies to the region’s socioeconomic difficulties.