On 27 September 2019, The UNDP Namibia Country Office and the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The MoU is based on mutual areas of support and is aimed at building capacity at Nust to provide research and analysis on key developmental issues that touch on economic, social and environmental challenges.

The common areas of interest are informed decision-making for national development, evidence-based analytical perspectives, policy direction and Sustainable development Goal (SDG) achievements. These fit well within the timeframe of the Fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), as well as the global SDGs.

The UNDP Resident Representative Alka Bhatia, stated that the agreement is a significant milestone in the ongoing collaboration between NUST and UNDP. “For years, UNDP has partnered with academia and we have directed our focus and expertise on evidence-based research,” she said.

The Acting Vice Chancellor Vice Chancellor of NUST, Mr. Morne Du Toit stated that NUST is particularly excited for this collaboration and would like to contribute to the Namibia Accelerator lab. This is also one of the priority areas of the agreement.

Several priority areas will be focused on and the expected key outcomes of the MOU will include:

· Evidence-based research and analytical ‘peer-reviewed’ products or papers.

· Paper contributions to and participation in the national processes for SDG reporting.

· The organisation (co-hosting) of events such as conferences dialogues, roundtables and workshops.