New UNAM Council challenged to strengthen governance and national impact

Minister calls for ethical leadership
As Namibia expands access to higher education, UNAM’s new Council faces the challenge of strengthening governance while ensuring the university delivers the skills, research and opportunities needed by the next generation.
Justine Shehama
  • 1 Week Ago

The newly inaugurated University of Namibia (UNAM) Council has been urged to uphold strong governance, accountability and ethical leadership while ensuring the institution remains relevant to Namibia’s development needs.

Speaking at the Council’s inaugural meeting at the UNAM Veterinary Academic Hospital in Windhoek on Monday, Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture Sanet Steenkamp described the appointment of its members as both an honour and a public responsibility.

“Your appointment is not only an honour. It is a public trust,” Steenkamp said, stressing that the Council’s decisions would have implications beyond the university campus. “It will have implications for our students, our economy, our communities and, ultimately, for the development of Namibia.”

Steenkamp said the Council’s role was to provide strategic leadership, sound governance and effective oversight while respecting the distinction between governance and the university’s day-to-day management.

“Good governance does not mean governing every operational decision. Equally, effective management cannot mean operating without accountability,” she said.

She called on Council members to remain actively engaged with the institution and develop a clear understanding of its finances, risks, academic mission, research output and student outcomes. “Oversight requires curiosity. It requires courage. And sometimes, it requires difficult conversations.”

She warned the Council against waiting for problems to become crises before acting, urging members to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and put the interests of the university and the public ahead of individual interests.

Chairperson of the new UNAM Council, Wilhencia Uiras, outlined the Council’s vision for the institution and reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling its statutory mandate under the University of Namibia Act.

Uiras described UNAM as a key driver of Namibia’s socio-economic transformation and highlighted the university’s Integrated Strategic Business Plan 2025–2030.

The plan focuses on higher education for societal transformation; research and innovation for impact; global competitiveness and sustainable partnerships; and people, culture and technology for operational excellence.

She emphasised the importance of aligning UNAM’s strategic priorities with national development objectives, including the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Uiras also called for closer cooperation with government, particularly on funding, resource allocation and maintaining the quality of education as access to tertiary education expands.

Steenkamp reaffirmed the government’s respect for the Council’s statutory independence but stressed that independence must be matched by accountability. “Support does not mean the absence of scrutiny, and trust does not mean the absence of accountability,” she said.