14 May 2018

University of Botswana (UB) and Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise cooperation between the two institutions.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on Tuesday, UB vice chancellor, Professor David Norris said the goal of the MoU was to open avenues for long-term collaboration between the two institutions in areas such as training, consulting, research and marketing.

Professor Norris said the MoU would result in the Faculty of Business, through the Department of Marketing, running a training programme called Botswana exporter development in June 20 this year.

He said the programme would develop a pool of appropriately skilled exporters and ensure that the value of exports in the country’s economy was consistently growing over time.

He said the key part of the national economic growth strategy was to diversify and grow the economy by increasing the number of enterprises that export.

Professor Norris noted that the MoU came when the university was making strides in boosting engagement with industry for mutual benefit.

For his part, chief executive at Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, Mr Keletsositse Olebile said the signing of the document formally established a new strategic partnership between the two organisations. He said they would pursue collaborative arrangements in organising and availing the roll-out of short courses in export development and capacity building for local companies.

“This event marks an important milestone in strengthening the ties between BITC and UB, and I am confident that this collaboration will inspire more joint innovative activities in future and drive the export diversification Botswana to even greater heights,” he said.

Mr Olebile noted that the MoU was part of a strategy to create and maintain a strong export culture as well as ensuring that participants understood the entire export value chain and challenges therein.

He said through such interventions the country would be able to expand the overall exports by increasing the number of firms involved in exporting to external markets.

He said the key deliverable would provide attachment places for international business students to gain practical exposure in branding and marketing.

Mr Olebile said it would also facilitate potential for joint research and collaboration in the development of position papers in export development, international investment and trade, nation branding and general advocacy.
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