MKU INKS A PARTNERSHIP  WITH THE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT

Mount Kenya University (MKU) has signed a memorandum of understanding  with the International University of Management (IUM) –  a private state-recognized university based in Namibia –  on a framework to support capacity development in human health care. Witnessing the signing of the memorandum  of understanding  was   Dr.   Nangolo Mbumba, Vice President, Republic of Namibia who emphasized on the need to enhance inter-universities’  collaboration as well as empowerment of university students in Africa.  He also  appreciated the warm reception that delegates received at the just concluded Africa Climate Summit 2023.

 Dr. Mbumba  underscored the importance for African universities to embrace viable partnerships while unpacking the milestones achieved under the Nairobi Declaration 2023 so that long lasting and viable impact  can trickle down to local communities. He congratulated MKU for the huge investment in state-of-the-art facilities.

Speaking at the function, MKU’s Vice Chancellor  Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi noted that   both Kenya and Namibia  have developed  economic  blueprints  dubbed Vision 2030  that are   directed towards creation of strong health care systems. The blueprints   have adequate capacities to serve their respective nations in terms of provision of adequate, affordable and reliable health care.  “The two universities serve in capacity development as a way of supporting their respective countries’ vision statements. This partnership falls within the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number three  on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages,” he said. Prof. Jaganyi added that as a way of gaining synergy, the partnership will be expanded to include other universities and organizations, both private and public in both countries and beyond.

Commenting on inequalities in health sector he said: “MKU is the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) hub for SDG number ten  on reduced inequalities. When medical schools and governments partner on cross-border basis and benchmark with each other, it is a sure way of contributing toward reduced inequalities in health care within the continent.”

Africa Climate Summit 2023

On his part Prof. Peter Nyarong’o, the  co-ordinator of  school of medicine at IUM noted that the signing of the memorandum  of  understanding   between MKU and IUM marks an important milestone in the status of Africa’s academic institutions’ capacity to translate into action, policies and political pronouncements made by the African leaders during the 2023 Africa Climate Summit.

“Having broken the artificial borders that divide us as Africans, political leaders, through the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change, have opened a free space for the educational and training institutions to operate across the continent in bringing forth technological solutions to the antecedents’ of climate change, such as the fast rising levels of poverty,” Prof. Nyarong’o remarked adding that the memorandum  of  understanding  is an instrument that will allow students to have free movement across the national frontiers in pursuit of excellence and innovation hence uniting the African continent. Additionally,  it  will allow students to grow and expand frontiers of science and sustainable management of resources through viable, conducive leadership systems today and into the future. He however called for the need to produce graduates who besides creating employment and improving community livelihoods are also capable of critically analyzing important assumptions such as how to lower the cost of green energy or scientific achievement on nuclear energy as the cleanest and cheapest source of energy that is affordable at household level.

Notably, he noted that Africa is an emerging  powerhouse  and  its  youth   are the future international workforce, researchers and inventors for the entire world hence the need for cross-border collaborations. “The memorandum of  understanding   allows MKU and IUM to effectively inculcate cutting-edge knowledge and skills to graduates in the areas of human health and other disciplines thus contributing  in mitigation of the costs of industrial production and the costs of goods and services that are intertwined with the fundamentals of sustainable development of African countries,” Prof. Nyarong’o noted. The two universities are committed to championing  the economic  blueprints   of their respective nations and supporting   capacity development in human health care.