24 Feb 2015

The Ambassador of Japan to Botswana, Mr Masahiro Onishi has implored Batswana who have schooled in Japan to share their experiences in the local context as such would promote further relations between the two nations.

He said this during the Friends of Japan reception on Friday, February 20 marking a send-off of three Batswana who will depart for Japan in April for further studies. 

The three students are Atasaone Kgalajwe, Mpumelelo Ntogwa and Goitseone Malambane.

The ambassador said through the experiences in Japan, they did not only achieve educational qualifications, but also gained insight into Japanese values and way of thinking.

“I would like to hear your recollections and comments and also exchange views on Japan. Use these experiences in your work places and daily life so that your experiences may be shared within the Botswana context,” the ambassador noted.

He said Japan valued its relationship with Botswana and they were committed to maintaining their working relations. 

He said it was his desire to see cordial friendships between members and other stakeholders increase to strengthen the two country’s relationship. 

Currently there is one Japanese exchange student, studying at the University of Botswana.

 Ms Kgalajwe and Mr Ntogwa will pursue masters in their respective areas while Mr Malambane pursues PhD. They will be in Japan for three years. Ms Kgalajwe, an intern at BDC expressed her gratitude to being awarded the scholarship.

“The selection process was rigorous and I am glad to have made it. Having masters will be an added advantage, given that today it is not easy to secure a job, which is why we opt for internship programme,” she said.

She graduated from UB in 2013 and has spent a year on internship programme. Her field of study will be Masters in Financial Engineer.

Mr Ntogwa who is a pharmacist at Mahalapye hospital will pursue Masters in pharmaceutical sciences while Mr Malambane’s PhD will be on Life and bio Resources.

Since 2006, the government of Japan has given 20 scholarships to locals and the number of candidates varies with each year. There are multiple factors that are considered to determine beneficiaries, such as research proposals and past academic results. The programme attracts postgraduates only. ENDS