Nipam intakes started last year, after a relatively long period of planning, which included construction of the training centre in Academia.

This year is now set aside for tying up operational hiccups and a public relations exercise "for people to understand who we are and what we do," says Nghikembua.

Nipam is not a technical institution for engineers or doctors.

Neither is it an idealistic programme, as with so many other unrealistic programmes that have come to be associated with Africa. Nor is it replicating programmes at Polytechnic and University of Namibia. In fact, the two tertiary institutions are developmental partners to Nipam.

"It is a programme that speaks to reality, aimed at giving better skills to civil servants at various managerial levels. We know that they are already professional people but we are addressing existing professional gaps. Giving knowledge, skills and a change in attitude. There must be a change in mind set at the end of the day," says Nghikembua.

Schwella - who too gets fired up with passion at discussions of Nipam's programme - simply describes the goal as to "realise the service ethos and adherence to public service commitments".

Schwella represents the School of Public Learning (SPL) at Stellenbosch University, which has established itself as the knowledge centre for effective leaders within the public and development sectors. Schwella gives input to Nipam curricula development.

Nipam graduates get hefty credits to enter master's programmes at other esteemed tertiary institutions within southern Africa, something that Nghikembua described as a bonus seeing that it is the state that pays for Nippam tuition and not individuals.

The costs for the programme are priced at half of what tertiary institutions in the region charge for such developmental training courses.

When launched, Prime Minister Nahas Angula said Nipam is destined to be vital professional and managerial capacity-building of the executive and managers in the Namibian public sector at central, regional and local government level.

"It would address the concerns and issues of efficiency and effectiveness of the public service," Angula had said.

Nearly 1 000 civil servants went through the Nipam programme last year and this year's expectations are for gigantic increases in intakes.