The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) has won the 6th National ICT Summit held in Namibia

NUST won first place (Bronze Category) for its outstanding exhibition at the Sixth National ICT Summit held recently. The event, which is the flagship summit of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, took place under the theme: ‘Accelerating Digital Transformation.’

The event brings together various key players in the ICT industry to share expertise, and it also affords the youth the opportunity to showcase their latest inventions.

“The NUST stall was shared by the Innovation Design Lab (IDL) and the Faculty of Computing and Informatics (FCI). IDL presented three state-of-the-art functioning prototypes: the Carbon-Fibre Electric Vehicle; a Swap Battery Management System for 600 Lithium-ion batteries, with thermal control and software security for over/under charging; and a GridX, which is a WiFi based smart electric metering system. FCI exhibited various innovations developed by students, including computer-based games,” remarked Prof Anicia Peters, Dean: FCI. Furthermore, NUST and MTC presented tech research and innovation collaboration developed under their Memorandum of Understanding, signed earlier this year.

The Innovators
The highlight for this year was the youth day, which attracted 24 young innovators from Khomas, Kunene and Zambezi regions. The day also included panel discussions tackling issues facing the youth within the ICT space.

More Awards
Furthermore, there were two categories in which the exhibitors competed in, namely, the ICTech Hub Idols and the Pitching Competition.

The People’s Primary School Interactive Tech Library, headed by Helvi Itenge, a NUST staff member, won first place. Josephina Mikka-Muntuumo, a Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, scooped second place for a project that uses artificial intelligence and drones to fight crime, while the augmented reality handbags from Tech Hub took third place in the ICTech Hub Idols Competition.

The Summit ended on a high note, with top ranking officials from the Ministry vowing to take up recommendations derived from the various discussions.