INCEIT takes root after official inauguration
The India-Namibia Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (INCEIT) delved its roots deeper into NUST soil after the completion of its first phase
The Centre was established in 2019 as a product of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 16 June 2016 between the Governments of Namibia and India. The late President of India, Hon Pranab Mukharjee, initiated the project by visiting Namibia to establish a Centre of Excellence in Information technology (CEIT) in Namibia. “Information Communication Technology (ICT) is the backbone of the industry and dynamic in nature. The challenges facing it such as efficient service solutions, innovative start-ups and underdeveloped IT infrastructure, require national and international partnerships, collaborations and solidarity to be addressed,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Hon Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
The inauguration event was presided over by the Indian Minister of External Affairs, Hon Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who acknowledged the Centre’s unique relic, the PARAM !ARUB, a High-Performance Computing (HPC) system that falls in line with NUST’s 2021-2025 strategic imperatives’ goal four of driving human-centric digital transformation for Industry 4.0 and beyond.
PARAM means ‘ultimate’ in India’s Hindi language, while !ARUB means ‘cheetah’ in Namibia’s Khoekhoe language. Thus, it was coined as such, because of its unparalleled speed, just like the cheetah. “The HPC has seen the installation of numerous application software to ensure its optimum usage. This will contribute to Namibia positioning itself as an ICT powerhouse in Africa and beyond,” Hon Dr Jaishankar said.
“NUST has endeavoured to maintain the highest standards of education through research, innovation and community engagement and has taken practical steps to keep up with the demanding and rapidly changing technological environment of the present millennium,” Minister of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation, Hon Dr Kandjii-Murangi said. The various programmes offered by the Centre will also help develop innovative ideas that have the potential to create new products, businesses, and jobs. The Centre currently offers three certificate programmes at level 7: a Certificate in Ethical Hacking and Information Security, a Certificate in Big Data Technologies, and a Certificate in Advanced Web Technologies. In addition, two skills development short-term programmes are also on offer: a Certificate in Python Programming at Beginners and Advanced Level.
“During the second phase, to strengthen the UNESCO chair in Secure High Performance Computing in Higher Education and Research, INCEIT will develop three certificates and/or postgraduate diplomas in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Big Data in High-Performance Computing, and Network Security,” NUST Vice-Chancellor, Dr Erold Naomab, elaborated. The second phase will also focus to increasing the capacity and support for admin and maintenance of the HPC, advanced IT training, research, and innovation.
