The Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture, Sanet Steenkamp says innovation must be a national imperative that goes beyond academia.
Sanet Steenkamp made the remark during the second edition of UNAM's Innovation Competition Awards, held in Windhoek, meant to celebrate creativity and entrepreneurship.
The innovation competition awarded seven winners in different categories, with the overall winner, Maria Kativa, earning a cash prize of N$25,000 and N$15,000 in the UNAM Alumni category.
The other winners won in different categories that included SMEs, UNAM Alumni, emerging innovators, and new entrants, who scooped cash prizes ranging from N$10,000 to N$15,000.
In a speech read on her behalf, Steenkamp encouraged innovators to focus on sectors where Namibia holds a competitive advantage, such as renewable energy, agro-processing, digitalisation, and smart agriculture.
"In recent times, the government, through the Office of the Prime Minister, launched their strategic plan for delivering innovative and responsive public services through transformational leadership. This is exactly the ecosystem we need — one where government assimilates its efforts with academia, the business community, and the public to create and also to come up with prototypes for the marketplace. So, the impact of this initiative of government is measured not merely in papers but also in better living livelihoods for our public," noted Lovisa Immanuel, the Education Ministry's Director of Research and Innovation, who spoke on behalf of Steenkamp.
UNAM's Vice Chancellor, Kenneth Matengu, described the event as a celebration of achievement and ingenuity while emphasising that innovation remains a key pillar in achieving the university's Integrated Strategic Business Plan 2025–2030.
"The university is mandated with the responsibility to drive innovation development, stimulate entrepreneurship development among its community, and propel the creation of startups and spin-off entities for the purpose of third-stream income generation for the university. Innovation is very important, as it helps us solve challenges that our society is facing today," said Dr. Ellen Namhila, the Acting Vice Chancellor, who spoke on behalf of Dr. Matengu.
The event was graced by students, academics, industry leaders, and government representatives to honour innovators.
The event was celebrated under the theme "Opening Minds through Entrepreneurship and Innovation."