FRONT ROW, THIRD FROM LEFT: Barbara Liebel, DAAD Namibia Country Representative; Prof Andreas Dittmann, Justus-Liebig University: Partnership Coordinator; Hon. Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo, Deputy Minister: Higher Education, Training and Innovation; H.E Christian Schlaga, German Ambassador to Namibia; Cay Etzold, DAAD: Head of African Section, and Dr Marius Kudumo, Director: International Relations (NUST).Held under the theme ‘Building Sustainable Networks, Tackling Social Responsibilities and Fostering Empowerment,’ the meeting is a first step towards the establishment of a DAAD Alumni Association for Namibia. Hon. Dr Becky Ndjoze-Ojo, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Training and Innovation said: “For Namibia, the DAAD offers many scholarship opportunities at postgraduate level and I commend them for their contribution to the body of knowledge in Namibia.” She added that a strong DAAD Alumni network will foster capacity building and progress in all sectors, not just in Namibia but all over the world.

NUST currently has 34 memoranda of understanding with German universities, of which the DAAD has been instrumental in the establishment and funding of many partnerships and projects, such as the Namibian-German Centre for Logistics, one of NUST’s centres of excellence.

“Our University has a long and rich history of quality partnerships with the German government. Furthermore, the collaboration with German universities and institutions are mainly in the areas of institutional capacity establishment and development, human capital development, joint curriculum development, research, as well as staff and student exchange,” remarked Tjama Tjivikua, NUST Vice-Chancellor (Pro Tem). H.E Christian Schlaga, German Ambassador to Namibia, highlighted that the DAAD was established to partner with various countries in efforts to encourage international academic co-operation, and equip beneficiaries with the skills to contribute to the growth of the economy in their home countries. DAAD supports over 100 000 German and international students and researchers around the globe each year, making it one of the world’s largest funding organisations. Several of these students have also been hosted at NUST through exchange programmes.