NEWS

The German government has provided via KfW Development Bank a grant funding of EUR 10 Million towards the construction of an International Centre of Excellence in Wildlife Management and Tourism Studies. This is due to a bilateral cooperation agreement between the Republic of Namibia and the Federal Republic of Germany. Through this investment, UNAM Katima Mulilo Campus (KMC) is poised to play a significant role in wildlife management, effectively positioning itself in the famous Trans-Caprivi Highway- a Namibian gateway into the interior of Southern African states of Botswana, Zambia, Angola, Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa.

The grant will go towards academic programs and research development, plus new infrastructure such as laboratories, classrooms, lecture rooms, library, offices and cafeteria - that will host the Department of Wildlife Management and Tourism Studies (DWMTS) at the UNAM Katima Mulilo Campus - nestled on the banks of the Zambezi River in North-Eastern Namibia. Once completed, the facility will enable researchers and students to conduct research on wildlife and work to support government through wildlife management and conservation policy studies on the Kavango-Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA).

PEM Consult and its Namibian (Deon Pretorius Architect; Namibian Nature Foundation) and German (Applicatio Hamburg) partners support the implementation of the grant programme with their consulting services covering architectural design and construction supervision, contract management and procurement of equipment as well as a comprehensive capacity building programme for the DWMTS.

This state-of-the-art extension project whose architectural design embraces sustainable environment principles began during a site handover that occurred on the 23rd of November 2021

The University of Namibia's Chancellor, Council, the Vice Chancellor and the executive management express their sincere gratitude for the financial support provided by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through its Development Bank, KfW. Equally, UNAM also extends its sincere thanks for the support by the Government of the Republic of Namibia through the bilateral facilitation by the National Planning Commission.

The construction of the new DWMTS campus at UNAM marks yet another milestone of a long-term joint Namibian-German and regional development program, to support natural resource management in Namibia and the wider region to improve the management of Namibia's national parks.