Speaker of the National Assembly Peter Katjavivi has congratulated the University of Namibia (Unam) management and its vice chancellor Kenneth Matengu for a “milestone achievement” following the university accreditation as one of the country’s certified Covid-19 testing centres.
 “This milestone achievement in the nearly 30 years existence of the university serves as an important contribution towards our governments’ efforts in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Katjavivi, who is also the founding vice chancellor of Unam. He said the university commitment further, to use the data collected through this exercise for research purposes to make informed scientific contribution towards Namibia’s knowledge base, in dealing with the disease outbreak is indeed a laudable contribution towards national objectives.

 “I wish you and your team the best of luck as you join our government in its efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic,” the speaker said in a brief statement. 
Local diamond mining giant Debmarine Namibia and Unam teamed up to establish a laboratory that is licensed to conduct Covid-19 tests as from 3 August 2020. 

The Unam molecular diagnostic laboratory is a licensed medical laboratory in terms of Section 31 of the Hospitals and Health Facilities Act 36 of 1994. 
The opening of the Covid-19 testing laboratory at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Hage Geingob Campus was launched last week. 
Matengu said the university now boasts two PCR machines with 10 highly trained staff members- seven from Unam and three from the health ministry.