Jaenique Swartz  

The School of Military Science at the University of Namibia (Unam) recently hosted the first international conference on safety, resource control, and democracy in Africa.  

The four-day conference featured presentations from Unam students from the School of Military Science, showcasing their various research projects relating to the conference’s theme. 

This notion allowed conference participants to learn about the various research that youth have undertaken that brings about fresh ideas and perspectives relating to security, democracy, and resource control, especially within the Namibian context.  

Some of the research projects covered topics such as the impact of Air Namibia’s liquidation on the Nambian aviation industry, the impact of youth unemployment on economic security, the impact of alcohol consumption on the pilot judgement in the Namibian aviation industry, and a study on regulating social media use in the country.  

Chief of the Namibia Defence Force, Air Marshal Martin Kambulu Pinehas said the engagement served as a platform to discuss relevant issues that remain prevalent within the Namibian society. He further stated that it highlights the significance of reinforcing nature of security and natural resources with the need to ensure adequate protection of critical resources.   “The significance of this conference can be seen from the very fact that the strategic environment is characterised by political instability in different parts of Africa and beyond. Poverty, inequality, and violent conflicts over access and control of natural resources, climate change, and environmental degradation. The theme of this conference captures the geopolitical challenges of our time,” said Pinehas.

Frans Kapofi, Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs in a speech that was read on his behalf said the ministry’s success can be attributed to the inclination to participate in fora such as this.  

“Institutions such as the School of Military Science, Unam are poised and equipped with the intellectual capacity to play the role of systematically studying and making us aware of several countries specific threats with the propensity to limit our policy choices in world politics,” he said.The event touched base on how emerging issues of geopolitics impact democracy, access and control of natural resources, and relations among states. 

The minister said the conference served as a platform to discuss relevant issues that remain prevalent within the Namibian society, it highlights the significance of reinforcing the nature of security and natural resources with the need to ensure adequate protection of these critical resources. 

 “The NDF will continue to fund and partner with institutions of higher learning, especially the School of Military Science and Unam in ensuring the dissemination of knowledge on strategic matters,” he said. 

-jaeniqueswartz@icloud.com