IUM and the Fisheries Observers Agency (FOA) have sealed a historic and transformative Memorandum of Understanding at the IUM Main Campus in Windhoek on Tuesday, 2 December 2025. This partnership will strengthen national capacity and open new opportunities within Namibia’s vital fisheries and marine sectors.
Prof. Alex Kanyimba described the partnership as a step that brings institutions together to drive national progress through shared expertise and a united vision.
FOA CEO, Dr. Stanley Ndara, said that the MOU will not gather dust, as the first cohort of IUM students will begin a six-week internship in Walvis Bay on 4 December 2025. These students will gain real field exposure in fisheries management, observer deployment and scientific data gathering. FOA will take four IUM students each year at both Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
IUM Vice Chancellor, Prof. Osmund Mwandemele, celebrated the collaboration, noting that “the areas of cooperation under this MOU will enable our institutions to create synergies that ensure Namibia’s natural resources are utilised effectively for the socio-economic development and growth of our people.”
Through this partnership, IUM students will gain hands-on experience that places them at a competitive edge in Namibia’s growing blue economy.