By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
The Chancellor of the University of Namibia (Unam) on Monday urged African universities to cut and reduce red tape in decision-making and speed up such decision-making processes without undermining the traditions of participatory management.
Dr Sam Nujoma said this when he officially opened a two-week leadership development workshop of African universities.
“The decision-making tree at many universities is too long and the branches too many. Prune down the tree because if you continue with lengthy procedures of decision-making, you will possibly lose out on decisions that require instant and decisive action,” Nujoma said.
He further urged researchers to move away from small-scale project approaches.
“Focus on inter-faculty and cross-disciplinary research programmes. Only this way will you have managed to have the necessary impact on national development and knowledge creation,” said Nujoma, who also encouraged universities to be more creative in finding resources.
“Do not continue to wait for budget speeches and government subventions to determine your financial viability and status. There will never be enough money from governments to cover all your research and other needs.
Increased financial independence will strengthen your autonomy and academic freedom,” he said.