The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressed the students and faculty ofthe Namibia University of Science and Technology today (June 17, 2016) in Windhoek, Namibia.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that India remains committed to partnering with Namibia as its people pursue their developmental goals and national aspirations embodied in Government of Namibia's "Vision 2030" and "Harambee Prosperity Plan". He said that at the end of the third India-Africa Forum Summit meeting in Delhi in October 2015, India announced a total number of 50,000 scholarships/fellowships to be made available to African participants over a period of 5 years – from 2015 to 2020.Eight C. V. Raman Fellowship slots are available annually for Namibian researchers to pursue cutting edge research work of their own interest in India for a period of upto six months. He invited Namibian students and researchers to make use of this opportunity to develop co-operation in research and innovation with India.

The President said so far, over a thousand Namibian citizens have been trained in India under our ITEC program. Indian experts – government and private – have been deployed to assist the Government of Namibia in various policy formulations. He informed that a MoU has been signed on setting up a centre of excellence in IT in Namibia which will significantly contribute to enhancing the capacity and skill levels of Namibian ICT students and professionals.

The President said scientific enquiry is one of the most creative impulses of the human mind. It seeks answers to fundamental questions and plays a vital role in the advancement of mankind. Modern societies and nations are built on the fruits of research and technology development. He expressed confidence that the students of the Namibia University of Science and Technology are looking forward to the day when they, too, will make their proud contribution to a vibrant new landscape of innovation and technological development in Namibia.

This release issued at 2040 hrs.