The Vice Chancellor of the University of Namibia said the evidence that students provided during a debate on mineral resources and their impact on the southern community is commendable.

Professor Kenneth Matengu said this emphasises the need for local content and how Namibia can utilise its mineral resources through policymaking. 

Professor Matengu spoke at Keetmanshoop as part of the ten-year celebrations of the UNAM Southern Campus. 

The debate organised by the Southern Chapter of UNAM Alumni focused on contemporary issues regarding the effective unitisation of the country's natural resources. 

"I would like to see more of this kind of debate of the real national issues that are important for the future, and what I would like to see going forward is more debating teams but also just really emphasising, and it is not just for the sake of debating but really critiquing the role of each and every citizen in the developmental process of this country, so I was very impressed." 

UNAM students and alumni who were part of the debate commended the government for the Policy of Beneficiation and Industrialisation Development.

They noted that these laws reflect the current societal changes, which will maximise value addition, job creation, and skills development. 

Apart from Education, Economics, Management, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Nursing, the UNAM Southern Campus now houses the School of Geosciences, including the flagship programmes in gemology.