The lack of capacity and resources in the country has prompted the Namibia Ports Authority to team up with Finland and equip engineering students with the necessary exposure to, among others, ensure the country gets on the whitelist.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) preserves a “White List” which is a list of member states who have confirmed to the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) to be following the relevant provisions of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Mauritius, and Kenya are some of the African states that are on the White List.
Namport CEO Andrew Kanime said Namibia is a youthful nation faced with challenges, including limited resources, and often competing needs.
“These challenges manifest themselves in our day-to-day lives through high levels of poverty, inequitable access to education and unequal distribution of wealth and elevated levels of starvation,” said Kanime.
He stated this at the handover of scholarships to eight Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) students, who will depart to Finland next month to complete their double degree programme in Maritime/Marine Engineering at the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences (SAMK). The expectation of this venture is to afford opportunities to Namibian youth to get training in maritime navigation, maritime law, marine biology, harbour management, naval design and architecture.
“The mandate to manage and operate Namibia is a critical catalyst for effective international trade through our oceans and equally the realisation of the full potential of Namibia’s blue economy,” shared Kanime.
He added the blue economy encompasses fisheries, aquaculture and marine tourism, offshore mining and renewable energy as well as offshore oil and gas exploration activities. “These are some of the most critical industries in our economy with Namibia’s fisheries being the third legacy in Africa, employing at least 16 300 employees. Offshore mining is a significant contributor, which accounts for about 12% of our country’s GDP.”
Kanime said: “Equally important, as much as 80% of world trade volumes are carried through the seas and handled at ports globally, it, therefore, follows that marine engineering is at the core of providing support, this is undoubtedly Namibia’s key industries and hence the lifeblood of our economy.” He said these audacious obligations cannot be achieved without the complement of marine and logistics experts, which is a skills gap faced by the country.
Kanime added: “It is for this reason that Namport has taken a keen interest in the development capacity and embedment of these critical skills.”
NUST vice chancellor Erold Naomab said through a survey conducted by the institution, they saw a need to train marine engineers to locally maximise the exportation of marine resources in Namibia.
“The sector was ready for homegrown solutions to the skills gap, to help develop the programme until we can stand on our own and this led to the development of the double degree, we started with the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences,” he said.
Naomab stated that the graduates will be trained in a white-listed country and significantly can contribute to the national development goals in various roles within Namibia and beyond.
NUST student representative Werner Angula said: “We, the marine students would like to thank the Namport team for the sponsorship to complete our studies in Finland. We feel an extreme sense of gratitude and immense joy towards everyone who has assisted us in reaching this milestone.”
– psiririka@nepc.com.na