Ebson Uanguta, the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Namibia, paid a visit to the Bundesbank’s University of Applied Sciences in Hachenburg.  He was accompanied by the Director of Strategic Communications & International Relations, Israel Zemburuka, and the Deputy Director of Human Resources, Margalet Akooko.

As part of a cooperation project initiated by the Bundesbank and the Bank of Namibia in September 2024, the German central bank invited the Bank of Namibia to send up to twelve students to be educated at the Bundesbank’s University of Applied Sciences. 

Deputy Governor Uanguta’s visit to Hachenburg enabled him to form an impression of the University’s study programme in person and to talk to the seconded students about their experiences. The delegation was received by Lutz Lienenkämper, the Bundesbank Executive Board member responsible for the Bundesbank’s University of Applied Sciences, as well as the University’s Rector, Erich Keller, and Deputy Rector, Andreas Kremer.

© Arno Swillus

All participants in the discussions stressed that the importance of the cooperation for both sides should not be underestimated. Deputy Governor Uanguta emphasised what a great privilege it was for the Namibian students to be the very first employees of the Bank of Namibia to be educated directly in the subject of central banking, pointing out that other employees of the Bank of Namibia were recruited from other professions and had to familiarise themselves with central banking tasks on the job. This direct education in central banking was of major benefit to the Bank of Namibia, he said. Lutz Lienenkämper explained that the education of students from the Bank of Namibia at the Bundesbank’s University was enabling the two central banks to deepen and enhance their long-standing cooperation. Erich Keller and Andreas Kremer emphasised that all students at the University were benefiting from this cooperation. As native speakers of English, the Namibian students were helping to improve the English skills of their fellow students. In addition, the different perspectives and experiences of the Namibian students were feeding into the teaching at Hachenburg, which was very enriching.

© Andreas Kremer

Before the delegation left for Frankfurt to meet with Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel and Executive Board member Burkhard Balz and to visit the Bundesbank’s Money Museum, Ebson Uanguta held a lecture for the University’s students. He provided insights into the Bank of Namibia’s various areas of responsibility and highlighted key challenges. A key focus of the subsequent discussion was the Namibian dollar’s peg to the South African rand and its consequences. The students also drew comparisons with the situation within the euro area.

© Lennart Mroß