Africa-Press – Namibia. THE CEO of the National Commission on Research, Science, and Technology (NCRST), Prof. Dr. Anicia Peters, has said that there is a need to establish a local funding levy for Research and Development (R&D) on oil and gas-related issues, as current subsidies from the government do not cover research.
The CEO further stated that there is a need for the establishment of training centres and more programs related to oil, with only the UNAM campus offering geosciences at the moment. Prof. Peters made these remarks at the Oil and Gas conference, where she highlighted that the country faces a serious shortage of researchers and institutions, with only 3000 researchers and 67 research institutes countrywide, impacting the country’s global competitiveness.
The CEO said that the current subsidies received by the NCRST from the government only cover salaries and utilities and that the institute engages in fundraising for research projects. “The NCRST fund does not have an R&D levy. It can’t be the case for Namibia. If we want to determine our own priorities, what we fund, who we fund, and what problems we want to address in our society, it must come from us,” Dr. Peters said.
She further said that the R&D levy can be taken from the oil and gas sector and other sectors. Touching on Research and Development in the Oil and Gas sector, Dr. Peters shared that the oil and gas industry is highly specialized and capital-intensive. Therefore, any training and skills offered need to conform to certain standards and certifications. “The trainees should ensure that their programs are certified. Lecturers as well as equipment used in the process also require attention. We need to have knowledge transfer and exchange. We need to develop a master plan on what skills are needed in initial phases and secondary phases,” Dr. Peters said.
The NCRST CEO further stated that there are currently 18 tertiary institutions and over 100 Vocational Training Centres. These institutions will also need to be capacitated in Research and Development related to the oil and gas sector. Dr. Peters also said that while there is an option for Namibians to do Research & Development related to oil and gas abroad in more experienced jurisdictions, this won’t work, as there are country-specific research questions which need to be answered, such as climatic conditions in Lüderitz and community considerations. She added that currently, only UNAM’s southern campus offers Geosciences and that these need to be replicated at other tertiary education centres.
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