Police to be taught Portuguese
No budget yet
The decision is in line with Interpol requirements, Shikongo said.
Cabinet has given the green light for an agreement that will see Namibian Police officers learning Portuguese.
The minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security will sign a protocol of cooperation with the Camões Institute of Cooperation and Languages, based in Portugal, in this regard.
At this point, it is not known what the budget for this undertaking will be, and according to police Inspector-General Joseph Shikongo, this is one of the issues to be worked out in the coming months.
He explained that the decision to teach members of the Namibian Police Portuguese is in line with Interpol requirements, and also because Portuguese is one of the languages spoken in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“And it is just appropriate because Angola is our neighbour and we have joint commissions and we work very closely together, as well as Mozambique, with whom we work.
“We speak English with all our other neighbours, so it is prudent for us to be trained in Portuguese.
“In fact, one requirement of Interpol is that we should be trained in Portuguese, French and Arabic. Even me, I can speak fluent Arabic,” he said.
Tailored to us
The training will be tailored to Namibia’s armed forces, Shikongo said, adding that they are yet to determine which officers will be trained and whether this will include new recruits.
Namibia Sun understands that three police officers have been dispatched to set up a mission area as part of the SADC Mission in Mozambique. They were deployed on 15 July 2021 following approval by an extraordinary SADC summit of heads of state and government.
Camões is responsible for the promotion of the Portuguese language in over 82 countries.
[email protected]
The minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security will sign a protocol of cooperation with the Camões Institute of Cooperation and Languages, based in Portugal, in this regard.
At this point, it is not known what the budget for this undertaking will be, and according to police Inspector-General Joseph Shikongo, this is one of the issues to be worked out in the coming months.
He explained that the decision to teach members of the Namibian Police Portuguese is in line with Interpol requirements, and also because Portuguese is one of the languages spoken in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“And it is just appropriate because Angola is our neighbour and we have joint commissions and we work very closely together, as well as Mozambique, with whom we work.
“We speak English with all our other neighbours, so it is prudent for us to be trained in Portuguese.
“In fact, one requirement of Interpol is that we should be trained in Portuguese, French and Arabic. Even me, I can speak fluent Arabic,” he said.
Tailored to us
The training will be tailored to Namibia’s armed forces, Shikongo said, adding that they are yet to determine which officers will be trained and whether this will include new recruits.
Namibia Sun understands that three police officers have been dispatched to set up a mission area as part of the SADC Mission in Mozambique. They were deployed on 15 July 2021 following approval by an extraordinary SADC summit of heads of state and government.
Camões is responsible for the promotion of the Portuguese language in over 82 countries.
[email protected]
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