Pinehas Nakaziko
Windhoek-“My mind was filled with different ideas when it comes to technology,” Kunaije Kazauana says, adding that they have learned a lot and hope to share it with fellow youths.
He is one four Namibian students from the University of Namibia (Unam) and Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) who have just returned from doing a short training programme in technology in China.
Kazauana says they did the programme for personal growth as well as to understand technology itself. “Technology in China is more advanced compared to Namibia and I learned that in Namibia we only use 4G internet, but in China they use 4.5G or 5G, which is the fastest internet according to them,” he says. The trip was sponsored by Huawei Namibia.
Kazauana, a third-year information technology (IT) student at Unam, says the training programme, under the theme Seed for the Future, was an eye-opener for them as students.
Jason Afrikaner from NUST says the training was a great experience as they were taught by experts from one of the most technologically advanced countries.
“The practical nature of the training is important as we were given the chance to configure and troubleshoot our own base stations in a state-of-the-art facility,” says Afrikaner.
He adds that they gained valuable knowledge, which would be useful in telecommunication jobs or coming up with ideas for future endeavours.
Afrikaner says they even learned about where the world is heading technologically.
A final year student from Unam, Elizabeth Ishitile, says her experience in China was truly an unforgettable adventure that allowed her to see and touch the future.
“In Shenzhen, we visited Huawei headquarters and we were introduced to Huawei’s latest technology like 5G technology, internet and smart city. In the labs we had an opportunity to configure our own 4G base station that was tested using a Huawei smartphone, and I learned about their Mandarin language,” says Ishitile.
She adds that the programme allowed them to gain first-hand work experience at Huawei’s Chinese headquarters and experience Chinese culture and historical landmarks.