MAN Elevates Professional Standards through the 33rd AGM, Conference, and Capacity-Building Workshops

Windhoek, Namibia – 31 January 2024

The Museums Association of Namibia (MAN), in collaboration with the Museum of Namibian Fashion, the Confronting Colonial Pasts, Envisioning Creative Futures Project, and the UNESCO Participation Programme, successfully hosted 37 members (institutional, associate, and individual) during the 33rd MAN AGM, Conference, and Capacity-Building workshops held in Windhoek from Monday 28th of August to Tuesday 05th of September 2023, focusing on the theme "The Identity of the Namibian Museum."

The Capacity-Building Workshops, designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of museum professionals in Namibia, achieved four primary objectives:

1. Skills Enhancement: Equipping participants with new skills and knowledge to enhance museum management, governance, ethics, financial management, income generation, marketing, conservation, and documentation abilities.
2. Needs Assessment: Understanding the specific needs and strengths of participants through a Skills Mapping and Needs Assessment exercise.
3. Interactive Learning: Fostering interactive learning and knowledge-sharing among participants and experienced facilitators.
4. Empowerment: Empowering participants to contribute positively to the development and sustainability of museums in Namibia.

The program included five workshops focusing on critical aspects of museum management:

1. Museum Management, Governance, and Ethics Workshop:  Covering topics such as mission, vision, values, constitution drafting, ethics, community engagement, and collection policies.
2. Financial Management and Income Generation Workshop: Addressing financial management, budgeting, asset documentation, bookkeeping, audits, and funding application development.
3. Museum Education Workshop: Exploring learner-friendly approaches to museum education, object interpretation, and the development of educational policies.
4. Marketing Workshop:  Discussing marketing strategies, tourism in Namibia, creating marketing policies and plans, and enhancing online museum presence.
5. Museum Conservation and Documentation

Building on the pre-workshop assignments, upon completion of the interactive workshops, participants were assigned SWOT analysis-based evaluation forms, which were submitted in December 2023, allowing them time to apply the skills learned. Subsequently, participants were issued certificates of completion upon submission of their evaluation forms.

The Capacity-Building Workshops have played a pivotal role in elevating the skills and knowledge base of museum professionals in Namibia. These workshops not only provided a platform for skill enhancement but also facilitated the sharing of expertise, contributing significantly to the overall strengthening of the museum sector in the country. The individual members' presentations and evaluations serve as a strategic reference point for MAN, guiding the identification and prioritization of focus areas for future projects within the broader context of the Namibian Museum, Heritage, and Culture domain.

For further information, please contact: info@museums.com.na