15 Feb 2018

University of Botswana deputy vice chancellor, Prof. David Sebudubudu says in undertaking research, his institution should be able to make a difference by addressing societal challenges.

Prof. Sebudubudu made the remarks when responding to comments by some stakeholders, noting that there was need to do research on current issues to ensure that the institution remained relevant and made an impact in the society.

That was during an event where stakeholders were briefed about the institution existence and also to solicit ideas for improvement in service delivery going forward.

“As an institution, we should be able to address some of the challenges in the area where we reside in order for the institution to be relevant.

Research is critical and problem solving as well as making an informed decision should be based on research,” he added.

He said Okavango Research Institute (ORI) in Maun represented UB, thereby urging all stakeholders to interact with the campus leadership and fill the gaps in critical areas of concern.

He called for close interaction, noting that the institution was available to work with all stakeholders as it existed to serve the nation, hence societal support was important.

He said together they could plough back to the community and transform the country.

The institute, he said, aimed at doing research that would benefit communities in their vicinity.

Prof. Sebudubudu therefore informed the gathering that they were in the process of recruiting experts in animal science and tourism in Maun as the idea was for them to interact with farmers and the tourism operators so as to appreciate their challenges and concerns and see how best they could be assisted.

He also informed them that they had plans to make ORI vibrant.

He added that they had a master plan to expand the campus, but the project was shelved due to financial constraints following the economic recession.

However, he indicated that it does not stop them from offering more programmes at the faculty, stating that very soon, they would start Chinese course in Maun and Francistown campus and other courses would follow.

However, earlier on, Sustainable Land Management project coordinator, Mr Innocent Magole noted that the Ngamiland community expected ORI to undertaker research to address issues occurring year after year, citing recurrent livestock diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and wildlife/human conflict.

He explained that the issues had impoverished the community, adding that there were a lot of perceptions, arguments and questions about the origin and how FMD was transferred from buffaloes to cattle and what informed hunting ban.

Another official from department of Environmental Affairs, Mr Jobe Manga attested that ORI had a close interaction with government departments, adding that the campus had a lot of information, but organisations were not taking advantage of it.

Mr Manga revealed that ORI leadership encouraged organisations to fully utilise the information, but it seemed they were not forth coming.

For his part, ORI deputy director, Prof. Joseph Mbaiwa stated that they had done a lot of research on issues affecting the communities, citing issues of wildlife/human conflict and  crop damage, adding that some PHD students had graduated.

He said they had embarked on researches not only for academic purposes, but those that would address problems faced by the communities in Maun and Botswana at large.

He said it was unfortunate that they did not share the results with stakeholders and assured them improvement in information sharing going forward. Ends