Logistics training vital to economy

Further and more detailed logistics training is on the Namibian-German Centre for Logistics (NGCL) radar as they spearhead the promotion of the role of logistics, and the training it requires, to Namibian logistics companies.
Commenting on the continued need for formal logistics training, the Deputy Director of NGCL, Chris Savage said the government realised that for the economy to grow “they need logistics to reach their set goals.” He also identified a key component of success namely that the logistics industry can only deliver and perform successfully in this area if education and skills are up-to-date and in-depth.
The NGCL is one of the seven Centres of Excellence that have been established in Africa since 2008 with funding from the German Federal Foreign Office’s Aktion Africa programme.

Through various projects the Centre in Windhoek is based on cooperation between the Polytechnic of Namibia and Flensburg University of Applied Sciences and has rapidly gained a reputation in the field of providing and sharing expertise and logistics.
One of the ways in which the NGCL manages to maintain its level of expertise is through the exchange of staff and students between Flensburg University in Germany and the Polytechnic and this is how it promotes its growth.
Annual NGCL Logistics and Transport Workshops take place every year which are an effective tool in the Centre’s training programme to promote logistics.
Neville Mbai, Director of the NGCL said at the last workshop: “It was fantastic to see the speakers and the delegates interact at such a high level with regard to logistics. We are confident that this informative and enjoyable event has made a positive contribution to the future of logistics in Namibia by facilitating collaboration between government, industry and academia. We eagerly look forward to next year’s event.”
Last year’s workshop was organised by NGCL in conjunction with the Walvis Bay Corridor Group under the theme “Developing a Namibian Logistics Hub: Gateway to global supply chains and backbone to regional development” which focused on Namibia’s vision and goal of becoming a Logistics Hub serving both itself and the SADC region.
An array of international speakers aired their views and presented case studies and research on these subjects whilst endeavouring to address the core issues of logistics hubs and their potential for the development of Namibia and its trade.
Logistics is a vital aspect identified in the National Development Plan (NDP 4) as a key component for the economic development of the country. To achieve this long term target, an efficient, reliable modern working logistics and transport sector is required.
Furthermore, NGCL highlighted how research is needed in order to get insights on the specific needs and characteristics of logistics and transport in Namibia and Southern Africa.