The University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (NAMFISA) have signed an MOU that commits both institutions to create internship opportunities for students.
This collaboration is primarily aimed at enhancing the quality of students’ education and training through the provision of practical integrated learning.
The collaboration also commits to the secondment of industry experts from NAMFISA to UNAM and vice versa. Another aspect that is covered is stakeholder participation during academic processes such as curriculum development and review. The agreement will also ensure that NAMFISA and UNAM embark on joint research projects in areas of mutual interest.
During the recent signing ceremony, held at the University of Namibia, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Kenneth Matengu said that “UNAM is moving away from merely awarding students with qualifications, but instead would like them to leave academia with attributes of a graduate and with measurable skills levels. He also added that the University would like to produce leaders; people that make reasonable judgements and make informed decisions. This can, however, only be achieved if graduates are allowed to learn and unafraid to make errors.
The NAMFISA CEO, Mr Kenneth S. Matomola, remarked how scarce it is to find recruits with relevant skills to their regulatory sector, saying “Often, we have to develop the capacity we need internally, NAMFISA thus saw a need to collaborate with an institute of higher learning to bridge this gap.”
Written by Kerth-Harvest Ithana
