A JOINT committee is currently drafting a strategy to revive the Loudima Institute for Technical and Vocational Training in the Republic of the Congo by July.
The institute, previously known as the Loudima Technical Secondary School, used to be a training ground for exiled Namibians during the liberation struggle.
Republic of the Congo president Denis Sassou Nguesso in 2007 proposed the institute’s revival to president Hifikepunye Pohamba during bilateral talks held at State House.
The high school also provided technical training in the 1980s, but lost importance after Namibia gained independence in 1990.
Sassou Nguesso in 2007 suggested to “make it a training centre for senior managers from Namibia, the Congo and other African countries”.
The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture now plans to identify opportunities and guide the institute’s long-term development.
Loudima was inaugurated as a vocational training institute in 2014 through a joint initiative with the Congo Republic government, which was suspended in 2021 due to poor living conditions, a lack of electricity and water, poor food, and security concerns.
Executive director of education Erastus Haitengela says a committee is expected to submit a detailed report with recommendations to the education ministers of both countries by July this year.
The report will guide the final decision and implementation strategy for reviving the institute.
“The committee will investigate the practical challenges that have affected the operations of the Loudima Institute, as well as identify potential opportunities for its revival and long-term development,” he says.
Following the fifth session of bilateral engagement with Congolese minister of international cooperation, Denis-Christel Sassou Nguesso, in February, the ministry announced plans to reopen it to continue its intended purpose of equipping students with vocational skills of international standard.
Haitengela says the two governments have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation on technical and vocational education and training.
As part of this process, an agreement on vocational training was signed between education minister Sanet Steenkamp and Denis-Christel Sassou Nguesso.
Haitengela says the joint review committee will be mandated to carry out a comprehensive assessment on the institute, and will be central in advising both governments on the most appropriate and sustainable path forward regarding its future.
“The committee will undertake a thorough review of the factors that previously affected the functioning of the institute, including operational, financial, and governance aspects.
“Based on its findings, the committee will develop and propose practical, sustainable measures aimed at ensuring the effective and continuous operation of the institution,” he says.
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