University of Namibia Invites Experts from Turku to Develop a Degree Programme in Dentistry

​The University of Namibia, founded in 1992, is currently establishing the country's first research and education programme in dentistry.

According to Vice Chancellor Lazarus Hangula, who led the delegation, Namibia has no research or education in dentistry, so they have to seek experts from another country.

– Both our country and our university are young. Our country does not have enough experts for establishing a new field of science in the university, so we are seeking academic partners in co-operation from countries that have strong expertise in dentistry. During this visit, I have been very impressed in the know-how in the University of Turku and particularly in your strong research laboratories, says Hangula.

Above all, Hangula hopes that the collaboration that is under development will increase the international researcher and student mobility between the universities.

– We hope that dentistry experts from the University of Turku will visit us for both short and long periods. With the help of their knowledge and skills, we could develop the degree programme in our university. In addition to the experts participating in researcher exchanges, we are looking for a skilled and experienced person who would stay in Namibia for a longer time coordinating the development of the programme, says Hangula.

The Universities of Turku and Namibia already have a Memorandum of Understanding. Now the universities are striving to develop and expand collaboration, international mobility, and interaction between experts especially in dentistry, but both parties hope that co-operation will increase in other fields as well.

Photo: Hanna Oksanen
Text: Liisa Reunanen
Translation: Mari Ratia