City, IUM sign MoU to address urban challenges

The City of Windhoek and the International University of Management (IUM) formalised a five-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday morning at the City’s council chambers. This agreement aims to address various urban challenges. The collaboration will leverage the strengths of both institutions to tackle issues such as graduate employability, skills and technology transfer, climate change, food insecurity and policy inefficacy.Windhoek mayor Queen Kamati highlighted the importance of the partnership, stating: “Global trends dictate that cities and universities collaborate to build a better urban future. This is because the two sectors play a fundamental role in society, as they are at the front line when it comes to responding to challenges facing society”. She emphasised that the MoU represents a shared commitment to foster innovation and industry-focused educational solutions. Critical roleKamati further noted municipalities' critical role in leveraging research-based expertise from academic professionals to discover new, efficient and sustainable solutions. “Collaborating with universities will help address pressing municipal issues, such as the much-needed technological delivery of municipal services, solutions and innovations, municipal policy research and strategic environmental management sustainability for climate change." She added that the agreement would provide a platform for students to apply their classroom knowledge in real-life situations, gaining valuable experience through internships and job-attachment training. “The key aspect of this partnership is integrating academic research with particular urban solutions. By combining IUM’s academic expertise with the City’s practical expertise, our goal is to create a more inclusive, efficient city that meets the needs of the residents.”Transformative potentialIUM vice-chancellor Osmund Mwandemele echoed the mayor’s sentiments, emphasising the transformative potential of the partnership. “The MoU between IUM and the City of Windhoek marks a significant milestone in our shared commitment to advancing education, research and community development,” he said. Mwandemele highlighted the crucial role of universities as agents of change, catalysing socioeconomic development through education, training, research and innovation. “If they don’t do that, then they don’t deserve to exist, which is why we are here. We are here because we want to participate in the socioeconomic evolution of our people.”The City has standing MoUs with the University of Namibia (Unam) and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST).

City, IUM sign MoU to address urban challenges

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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City, IUM sign MoU to address urban challenges

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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