NUST Celebrates 10 Years of Eminence with Record Graduation Numbers
This May, NUST celebrated another record milestone of conferring qualifications to a total of 2 804 graduates. The numbers echoed a powerful statement on gender parity with 1 612 female, and 1 192 male graduands. “In April 2015, we graduated 1 942 students. A decade later, this number has grown by 44.4% to 2 804,” NUST Vice-Chancellor, Prof Erold Naomab, reflected.
Nine Trailblazers, One Historic Moment
As NUST celebrates its tenth anniversary as a university, it is particularly noteworthy that while no doctoral degrees were conferred in 2015, the institution has now, in 2025, achieved a record milestone by awarding its largest-ever PhD cohort of nine distinguished scholars.
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Pioneers in this endeavour included Ms Mary Nyaradzayi Hughslar Chikuruwo, the first woman to earn a PhD in Industrial Engineering at NUST, and Ms Maria Nelago Kanyama, the first graduate from the SASSCAL Postgraduate Programme. For the first time, NUST also graduated the first PhD cohort in Health Sciences, Ms Saima Shihepo and Mr George Mukisa.
NUST also conferred the Doctor of Philosophy, Honoris Causa, in Tourism Management on Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, for his visionary leadership in sustainable and inclusive tourism.
From Windhoek to Eenhana
Moving over to the Eenhana Graduation Ceremony, Simon Amunime became the first to graduate with an Honours in Public Governance, while Aleks Ndeutapo Joseph earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education while juggling teaching and lecturing.
Delivering the Keynote Address, Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, Hon Dino Ballotti, reminded graduates that “You do not need a fancy title to make a difference — you need purpose, and you need people who believe in you.”
His Excellency Dr Hifikepunye Pohamba, former President of the Republic of Namibia and Patron of the NUST Eenhana Campus, called on investors to support the development of the campus. He strongly emphasised the urgent need to expedite the construction of the planned facilities to meet the region’s growing educational demands.
