15 Oct 2017

Vice President Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi has made history as the first alumnus to be the Chancellor of the University of Botswana.

Mr Masisi is also the second non-head of state to occupy the position after the former second president of Botswana, Sir Ketumile Masire, who held the position until his death in June this year. He is the fourth Chancellor of the University of Botswana.

After being inaugurated, Vice President Masisi conferred degrees and diplomas at a joint University of Botswana (UB) and Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) graduation ceremony.

About 2 753 graduates received certificates from UB and BUAN, and amongst them were 189 who attained Masters degrees, 14 with PhDs, 226 undergraduate degrees and 51 diplomas.

In his acceptance speech, Vice President Masisi said he was stepping into the shoes of great wise men who led the institution with honour and integrity. “These great men are former president’s, Sir Ketumile Masire and Dr Festus Mogae,” said Mr Masisi.

He promised to do the best possible during his tenure in order to continue the legacy of his predecessors.

Vice President Masisi appealed to the nation to ensure that the university not only fulfils its purpose and mandate, but also becomes one of the best tertiary institutions in the region and the globe.

He noted that he was taking the Chancellorship at a critical time in line with Vision 2036.

“Vision 2036 is a transformational agenda that defines our aspirations and goals as a people. It aims to transform Botswana from an upper middle-income country to a high-income country by 2036, and sets out a compelling vision of what our future look like,” he said.

He said his main assignment was transformation which involved moving from a resource based economy to a knowledge based economy.

Vice President Masisi added that any reputable university served as a critical contributor to socio-economic transformation.

“It is not only a place where great minds meet, but also serves as a platform for discovery and innovation.

It is my desire that at the end of my tenure as Chancellor of the university, we should have tangible results pertaining to the university’s contribution to our transformation agenda,” he said.

Vice President Masisi also said government was committed to seeing the university thrive.

He added that the history of how the university came about was a demonstration of a united and proud nation.

He noted that he was taking over at a time of rigorous transformation in the tertiary education landscape.

“It is an undeniable truth that as a university we are facing multiple challenges, amongst them emerging and fierce competition for resources, funding and retention of world class staff.

It is a fact that universities, like many other businesses globally, are affected by social, political, economic, technological and demographic transformation.

The tertiary education environment has become less predictable and more challenging than ever before, and it is important that the University of Botswana seizes the opportunity to learn from global front runners in this transformation process,” he said.

Students graduated from various disciplines such as agriculture, business, science, humanities, education, engineering and technology, health sciences, social science and medicine.  ENDS