Eleven engineers made history at the UNAM Leisure Centre on 09 November 2026, graduating as the first International Welding Engineers (IWEs) trained on Namibian soil. Seven have already secured positions with companies, and the other four are going through placement processes.
The University of Namibia delivered the programme with the Association for Welding and Allied Processes of Namibia (WeldNAM) from 13 April to 21 August 2026. It follows the International Institute of Welding (IIW) system, giving graduates the world’s most sought-after welding qualification.
Nine graduates were sponsored through UNAM’s RealTest Project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and implemented with the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL). WeldNAM member companies sponsored the other two.
In a keynote delivered on-line by the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Kenneth Matengu, he called the graduates pioneers. “You are not merely graduating into an industry. You are helping to build an industry.”
Skills for green hydrogen, energy and mining and the region
The graduates are equipped for material selection, weldability assessment, inspection and quality assurance – skills needed in green hydrogen, oil and gas, mining, marine engineering and infrastructure. The RealTest proposal anticipates a need for about 5,000 welding personnel over five years.
Prof. Dr. Matengu urged industry to employ the graduates. “Let us move from importing expertise to developing expertise, from participating in industrial development to leading it, and from possessing resources to creating lasting national value.”
“Every pipeline, pressure vessel and steel structure in these new industries depends on welds done right. With these 11 engineers, Namibian companies can meet international quality requirements with Namibian expertise,” stressed Dr. Thomas Alweendo, Chief Executive Officer of WeldNAM and Senior Lecturer in UNAM’s Department of Mechanical & Metallurgical Engineering. He is also the representative for the whole African continent in the International Authorisation Board (IAB) of the IIW.
Prof. Thomas Böllinghaus, RealTest Project Principal, Acting Director of the Institute for Advanced & Applied Research and Technical Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor at UNAM, explained that the project was designed to make green hydrogen technologies safer. Because these technologies depend on welded metallic components, they demand the highest levels of quality and reliability. “We are humbled and proud that BMFTR is funding this immensely important course through the RealTest Project,” he acknowledged.
He described the UNAM course as a flagship: it is currently the only IWE course in sub-Saharan Africa, authorised by WeldNAM as the Authorised National Body (ANB) for Namibia, and is run under UNAM’s new Institute for Advanced and Applied Research.
“We strongly believe in the synergies between science, education and industry, and these 11 graduates are a marvellous outcome, as they are now qualified to work as leaders in industry, education or research,” enthused Prof. Böllinghaus. “The next three cohorts will strengthen this process even further.”
“These 11 engineers prove that world-class welding education can be delivered right here in Namibia. Our next step is postgraduate study, applied research with industry and training that serves the whole Southern African region,” asserted Prof. Paul Kah, Professor of Welding Engineering at UNAM.
RealTest provides scholarships for 40 IWEs by 2028, especially for women and applicants from underrepresented regions in our country. However, this funded scholarship model already serves as an impressive example and further organizations and industry partners have already declared interest to join in.
UNAM’s School of Manufacturing Engineering & Technology is now in place, and its Master’s in Manufacturing Engineering is accepting online applications for 2027 until 16 November 2026. These synergistic collaborations represent a major contribution to emerge Namibia as a flagship country for welding and manufacturing technologies in Africa.
