Working towards a digitally-driven nation
MTC, NUST, Huawei sign agreement
Harnessing a strategic partnership that will position Namibia as a digitally driven nation, MTC, the Namibia University of Science and Technology, and Huawei entered a tripartite cooperation agreement - a vehicle to promote research, innovation, technological and entrepreneurial excellence and internationalisation.Additionally, the cooperation will focus 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 commercialization; cybersecurity, cloud computing & data warehousing.
NUST vice-chancellor Dr. Erold Naomab expressed pride in the agreement reached, highlighting that the three entities will pool resources to accelerate the objectives of the cooperation.
“We are proud to extend our partnership with MTC to Huawei, under the framework of the Smart Campus Initiative (SCI). As partners, we are committed to pooling resources, expertise, and networks to improve competitiveness through trans-disciplinary research, co-creation and co-development, and application and transfer of specialised knowledge and technology aligned with NUST’s signature programme. We are fortunate to benefit through this partnership from the ICT Academy, a school-enterprise cooperation project that involves higher education institutions, to help build that talent ecosystem that meets industry requirements, providing high-quality candidates for industry development. NUST is dedicated to using technology responsibly in addressing the needs of this nation, through long-term sustainable solutions.”
Driving research and innovation
Speaking at the event, MTC’s 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 this path. A conducive policy framework must be in place to stimulate participation rather than inhibiting it.
“We must note that 5G is a fundamental platform for the 4IR because it is not just another G on the path of mobile technology evolution. 5G combines greater data transfer speeds and heightened processing power to enable IoT connectivity on a massive scale. It will have a significant impact on every aspect of our digital lives. With 5G comes high data rates, reduced latency, energy savings, cost reductions and higher system changes.
Huawei’s managing director, David Yu: “One of our roles in this collaboration is not only to educate students but also to train the staff. When teachers are digitally literate and trained to use ICT tools and platforms, it leads to a higher order thinking skills, providing creative options for students to express their understandings, and leave students better prepared to deal with ongoing technological change in society and the workplace. We hope for a long lasting relationship between NUST, MTC and Huawei. As giants in the industry, may we only continue to make positive contributions to the ICT industry.”