The Namibian government is committed to widening access to institutions of higher learning in the country.

This was said by Vice President Nangolo Mbumba when he inaugurated the University of Namibia's (UNAM) Southern Campus lecture hall complex at Keetmanshoop in the ||Kharas Region.

The government invested N$93 million for the first phase of the construction of the campus.

The construction of the complex, which consists of lecture halls, geoscience laboratories, and administration offices, started in 2016.

However, the completion took longer than expected due to financial constraints.

"It is a known fact that in order to build a strong, resilient, and prosperous nation in line with vision 2030, NDP, that's why I brought the Director of National Planning Commission and Harambee Prosperity Plan, we should train and produce a highly qualified workforce that could only be attained by building robust high education institutions and UNAM was conceived with that in the frame of mind to have highly qualified, highly trained and motivated young people, I, therefore, call upon our youth, particular  in the ||kharas,  to seized the opportunity availed by the government and university,  and all other educational institutions  and enrolled for various academic and professional qualifications offered, especially here at Unam Southern Campus."

||Kharas Governor Aletha Frederick says there is a need to expedite the second phase of UNAM's Southern Campus construction. 

"The second phase of this capital project needs to be expedited as we are embracing the transformation of the education system since the outcome of the 2011 National Education Conference, which proposes reviewing the education system to align it, not only to address the challenges but to support the specific development needs of Namibia."

Also speaking at the event was the Vice Chancellor of UNAM, Professor Kenneth Matengu.

"I wish to submit that if universities are actively engaged, they are important players in three main ways of contributing to regional development: first, they participate in economic development planning by generating economically viable knowledge and engaging with regional partners to cause and respond to the skills demand of the private sector; secondly, they provide academic and or synthetic evidence to government officials for using valid and reliable evidence for defining development strategies and interventions; and lastly, they use their international connections and knowledge generated to connect regions to the global scale of economic activities."

According to Matengu, the southern campus now has more than 1,000 students.