Cabinet to consider marine and coastal research policies

THE director of research and innovation in the Ministry of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Lisho Mundia, says some policies and strategies aimed at supporting and advancing marine and coastal resources research will soon be submitted to the Cabinet.

Mundia says these policies will include a bioeconomy strategy, a research output and journal accreditation policy, and the indigenous system policy.

He said this at the eighth Sam Nujoma Marine and Coastal Research Centre’s annual research conference at Walvis Bay last week.

The centre is part of the University of Namibia’s Sam Nujoma campus at Henties Bay.

Mundia said it is imperative for Namibia to continue investing in research, as the country can only move forward on the path of development when an information and knowledge-based environment is created for the next generation, and there are enough research resources available at the level of higher education.

“To build a nation, there is a need for a strong financial investment, and only research makes this investment succeed. Our society is changing day by day and basic needs are also changing, so we need a lot of applications of science and technology,” he said.

The conference was held under the theme ‘Collaborating for a Sustainable Future: Research Marine and Coastal Resources in a Changing Climate’.

University of Namibia (Unam) Sam Nujoma campus director Sam Mafwila said the conference has evolved into a pivotal event.

He said the planet is facing unprecedented challenges such as climate change “which disrupts the delicate balance of our ecosystems”.

Rising sea levels, ocean acidification, extreme weather events and over-exploitation of resources threaten not only the livelihoods of coastal and inland communities, but also “the very fabric of the global environment”, he said.

“The need for collaboration, scientific inquiry and suitable practices has never been more evident,” Mafwila said.

Established in 2001, the Sam Nujoma Marine and Coastal Research Centre is a fully-fledged multidisciplinary research centre under Unam.

Its mandate is to promote research and development activities in the field of marine science and coastal resources, taking into account the unique comparative and competitive advantage of the marine-rich Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, which is shared by Namibia, Angola and South Africa.