Staff Reporter
THE India-Namibia Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (INCEIT) at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) has been officially inaugurated by India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
NUST’s Vice Chancellor, Dr Erold Naomab, explained that the centre is an outcome of a bilateral agreement and a manifestation of close cooperation between the governments of India and Namibia. He revealed that India’s Ministry of External Affairs funded the project, while the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) within India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology served as the implementing agency.
“The conceptualisation of INCEIT started in June 2016 when the former honourable president of India, late Dr Pranab Mukherjee, visited NUST during his State Visit to Namibia. Subsequently, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two governments to establish a Centre of Excellence and Information in Namibia,” Naomab said.
INAUGURATED: India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah inaugurating the India-Namibia Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (INCEIT). Video: Times Now.
The Vice Chancellor explained that the centre aims to harness the power of India-Namibia intellectual capital in information technology (IT) to advance research, development, and training, especially in the emerging areas of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The centre, he revealed, has a big data analytics laboratory, a cyber-security laboratory, video conferencing facilities, and a high-performance computer known as the Param !Harub High-Performance Computer.
“The word Param means ultimate in India’s Hindu language, and !Harub means cheetah in Namibia’s Khoekhoe language. Cheetah is the fastest land animal, and Namibia has the largest population of cheetahs in the world. Therefore, it was befitting to name the fastest computer in Namibia as ‘Param !Harub’,” Naomab explained.
The Minister of Higher Education, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, said that the establishment of the centre represents the government’s response to ensuring that no one is left behind in the realisation of the 4IR and the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPP).
“It is based on the longstanding relationship between our two countries. It is also anchored on our shared foundation in terms of further strengthening our bilateral cooperation in information communication and technology,” she added.
This was reiterated by India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Jaishankar, who said that the centre is an outcome of the development cooperation and capacity-building partnership between India and Namibia.
“It (the project) is being pursued in line with our shared desire to develop human resources, especially the youth, and to give them the right skills in the technology domain,” he added.
The Deputy Prime Minister also reaffirmed this and expressed confidence in the centre’s objective to address the shortages of computing skills in cybersecurity, big data analysis, and e-governance.
“I am confident that through this innovative partnership, the India-Namibia Centre of Excellence in Information Technology will promote inclusive development, strengthen capacity, and build skills needed to reach the socio-economic objectives that are set out in our Vision 2030, elaborated in our NDPs, and, of course, being sped up in our Harambee Prosperity Plan II. In short, it will undoubtedly assist us in bridging the digital gap,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
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