Sol Plaatje University (SPU) today welcomed the University of Namibia (UNAM) delegation for a two-day strategic engagement visit. The visit represents a deliberate step toward activating the signed Memorandum of Agreement and exploring practical academic cooperation between the two institutions. The engagement is grounded in shared priorities such as postgraduate growth, community-responsive research and regional knowledge exchange.
The delegation was received at Central Campus by Ms Kashini Maistry, Director of Institutional Advancement, and Professor Jesmael Mataga, Acting Director of Research. The first day’s programme was curated to provide the delegation with a focused introduction to SPU’s academic footprint. Each session offered deep insight into the university’s research centres and flagship scholarly projects, highlighting SPU’s disciplinary strengths and evolving research direction.
At the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, presentations were delivered by Dr Thendo Mafame (Lecturer: Geography), Prof Nhamo Chaukura (Head of Department: Physical and Earth Sciences) and Dr Silas Verkijika (Acting Director: Centre for Applied Data Science). Prof Chaukura’s presentation reflected SPU’s growing contribution to sustainability and green technologies, while Dr Verkijika introduced opportunities for collaboration through the Computational Intelligence and Modelling Research Group.
The Faculty of Humanities session featured a detailed introduction to the Centre for Creative Writing and African Languages (CCWAL), presented by Prof Victor Teise (Acting Director: CCWAL). As one of SPU’s pioneering research centres, CCWAL is focused on revitalising indigenous languages, advancing African literary traditions and producing scholarship that speaks directly to the linguistic and cultural contexts of Southern Africa. Its work supports multilingualism, identity formation and the decolonisation of knowledge through both academic outputs and creative expression. The presentation offered a strong alignment with UNAM’s interest in promoting African languages as a field of scholarship, curriculum development and cultural preservation.
At the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development and Research (CEDAR) guided a session focused on socially responsive business innovation. Presenters shared how entrepreneurial education can support inclusive economies and how institutional collaboration can accelerate community-based enterprise development across Southern Africa.
The final engagement of the day took place at the Faculty of Education, where the presentations reflected SPU’s focus on rural education, multilingual learning and epistemic justice. Prof Dipane Hlalele (Head of Department: Education Studies) presented on ethical research in rural contexts and community development. Dr Olabisi Olaye (Lecturer: English Teaching) spoke on translanguaging practices in EFAL assessment and multilingual classroom environments. Additional contributions covered early childhood mathematics education, educator identity, curriculum transformation and open educational resources. The session concluded with an introduction to the Centre for the Advancement of Rural and Inclusive Education Research (CARIER), presented by Dr Kevin Teise (Acting Director: CARIER). As the Faculty of Education’s first research centre, CARIER is dedicated to equity-driven scholarship and transformation in rural and inclusive education.
As the visit continues tomorrow, the programme will transition to leadership-level engagements involving faculty deans and university management. The foundation laid during today’s sessions has affirmed deep academic alignment between SPU and UNAM. Shared priorities across sustainability, language, entrepreneurship and education are already revealing strong potential for long-term research collaboration and continental academic partnership.
