Nanso goes digital
Ester Hakaala The Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) launched a digital membership card system, aimed at improving the organisation’s ability to register, verify and keep track of its members across the country. Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, Nanso president Dorothea Nangolo said the organisation’s reliance on physical membership cards and hard-copy records had made... The post Nanso goes digital appeared first on New Era .
The Namibia National Students Organisation (Nanso) launched a digital membership card system, aimed at improving the organisation’s ability to register, verify and keep track of its members across the country.
Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, Nanso president Dorothea Nangolo said the organisation’s reliance on physical membership cards and hard-copy records had made it difficult to maintain an accurate and up-to-date membership database.
“We don’t have a digital database,” Nangolo said.
She added that regional structures have traditionally submitted members’ details through handwritten records.
She said the physical membership cards were also easily lost, while some members had never received cards because of shortages, making it difficult to verify membership during major Nanso events such as congresses.
Under the new system, members will be able to register through the Nanso website and receive a digital membership card containing a QR code.
The code can be scanned to verify a member’s status.
Nangolo said the move was necessary, as the organisation seeks to modernise its operations and ensure that members, including Namibian students studying medicine and other programmes abroad, can access Nanso services and membership remotely.
“We must be able to have a digital membership base that is able to reach everybody across the country,” she said.
Deputy secretary general responsible for recruitment, mobilisation and special programmes Donna Gamatham said the digital system was developed following months of work behind the scenes to address challenges associated with the distribution and management of physical membership cards.
She said the organisation’s membership figures could not always be accurately reflected through its existing physical system.
“When we came in, we had around 400 000 young people, students, residents and trainees who were part of the organisation,” Gamatham said.
She stated that the size and geographical spread of the organisation made it impractical to distribute physical membership cards to all eligible members.
The new system allows students, residents and trainees across Namibia to register online without having to physically approach Nanso structures.
– ehakaala@nepc.com.na
