Annual Report - University of Namibia

staff were fully funded by the Governmentof Namibia to the tune of about N$150million. Phase II, due to commence inmid 2010, will see the development oftwo sets of additional buildings. The fi rstset of buildings, which will be funded bythe Government of India to the tune ofN$90 million (US$ 12.1 million), will housethe Department of Mining Engineering,Department of Computer Engineering andIT and an Information Resource Centre.The second set of buildings, which will befunded by the Government of Namibia,will house the Department of Electronicsand Telecommunication Engineeringas well as the Department of ElectricalEngineering.Academic ActivitiesIn February 2009, the Faculty admittedits 42 pioneer students into Year 1 ofEngineering at the Ongwediva Campus.The students are specializing in eithercivil (12), electrical (7), electronics (6),mechanical (3), metallurgical (3) andmining engineering (11). In subsequentyears, the Faculty will also admit studentsinto computer, environmental, industrial,telecommunication and chemicalengineering disciplines.Mr. G Bombo joined the Faculty as alecturer of Metallurgy towards the end ofthe academic year. Messrs F. Shinombediand I. Kaholongo contributed to teachingMechanical Engineering as part-timelecturers while Mr E. Kandongo served asa part-time lecturer for Civil Engineering.Prof. Semar from GTZ Windhoek served asa visiting professor.The Faculty acquired basic laboratoryequipment for Electronics and ElectricalEngineering that are necessary forthe undergraduates’ training offundamentals in electrical, electronicsand telecommunications engineering.Research and PublicationsThe Founding Dean of the Faculty, ProfessorKavishe, was instrumental in initiatinga network of university researchers inmaterials science and engineering thatculminated with the formation of theAfrican Materials Science and EngineeringNetwork (AMSEN). The network is madeup of Wits University; University of Namibia;University of Botswana; University ofNairobi, Kenya; and the Federal Universityof Technology Akure (FUTA) of Nigeria.The aim of AMSEN is to encourageparticipating universities to put mechanismsin place to develop and retain facultymembers through joint research andpostgraduate training. AMSEN is a networkunder the auspices of the RegionalInitiative in Science and Education (RISE).RISE is supported by a grant from theCarnegie Corporation of New York. MrWillem Nashidengo, a Staff DevelopmentFellow in the Department of Mechanicaland Industrial Engineering, is one of thosewho obtained an AMSEN scholarship forMSc studies at Wits University. ThroughAMSEN, the Department will also acquirelaboratory equipment for the productionof carbon nanotubes. Professor Kavishe isthe Secretary General of AMSEN.Dr Ogunmokun collaborated with MrAnnual Report 2009 -32-