WINDHOEK: The Polytechnic of Namibia and the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering different areas of cooperation in the capital yesterday.

These areas include curriculum development, staff and student exchanges and research and materials exchanges, as well as the sharing of library resources.

Signing on behalf of the Polytechnic, its Rector Tjama Tjivikua said recent studies confirmed that Namibia has a huge skills deficit at semi-skilled and skilled levels.

Therefore one of Namibia’s developmental challenges is to link the country’s human resources development needs to the knowledge-based economy paradigms as defined in Vision 2030 and as elaborated in the supporting National Development Plans (NDPs), he added.

According to Tjivikua, the MoU will serve as the umbrella for collaboration between the Polytechnic and NIPAM.