01 Feb 2017

Ms Segomotso Marai of Maun is the recipient of the 2017 Desert and Delta Safaris (DDS) scholarship in tourism and hospitality related programmes.

Ms Marai (30), who is going to persue a degree programme at Botswana Accountancy College (BAC), expressed her gratitude towards Desert and Delta Safaris for making her dreams achievable since her desire was to be an entrepreneur in the near future.

Ms Marai was the second beneficiary while Neo Mathao of Palapye was the first student to receive the scholarship in 2016 to persue a degree in hospitality at BAC; the latter has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DDS.

Briefing the media in Maun recently, Desert and Delta Safaris general manager, Mr Bruce Petty said the scholarship, which started last year, was purported to build a pool of local managers in the tourism and hospitality industry.

The scholarship, he said, amounted to about P150 000 per student during the study period covering costs of tuition fees, book allowance, living allowance and transport.

Mr Petty said the scholarship would ensure one student was sponsored annually for Botswana Accountancy College's three-year programme in either International

Hospitality Tourism Management or International Tourism management.

Upon completion of the programmes, the awardees would be entitled to a two-year job offer with Desert and Delta Safaris before finding employment of their choice, he said.

Mr Petty said although the scholarship was open to everybody, it gave priority to communities in which DDS operated in the Ngamiland and Chobe districts such as Maun, Shakawe, Etsha, Khumaga and Kachikau and Kasane.

He noted that DDS prided in producing local managers in tourism and hospitality, a realisation met through an exercise which started between 2001 and 2013 when DDS attained 100 per cent local managers.
BOPA