16 Oct 2018

Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Mr Ngaka Ngaka is in Cape Town, South Africa for the fifth ministerial meeting on Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and AVN - a Radio Astronomy Project.

A news release from the ministry states that the two-day meeting, which started on October 16 and ends October 17 will review progress against three joint flagship projects namely the African SKA, the African VLBI Network, and the Big Data Africa initiative through which the African SKA is preparing itself for the implementation of SKA Phase 2.

“In the forum, the ministers will review progress made in the previous year based on the resolutions they made previously and will also give guidance and direction on the implementation of the project,” it states.

The SKA is a huge international science project intending to construct the largest radio telescope in the world by 2024.

The SKA will be made of thousands of receptors linked together with a total collecting area of about one square kilometre, giving 50 times the sensitivity and 10 000 times the survey speed of the best current-day radio telescopes.

Construction of the first phase of the SKA project began in 2016 and will run up to 2020, while the second phase of the project will run between 2022 and 2024.

The SKA is expected to contribute significantly to the growth and development of science in Africa, and to Botswana.

The benefits anticipated are that Botswana scientists will be part of the community of scientists in Africa who will build the continent as a major hub for physics and astronomy.

It is also envisaged that opportunities will be created for Botswana scientists and engineers to work on cutting-edge research through collaborative projects with the best universities and research institutes of the world who will be attracted to Africa.

Other benefits include the development of high-level skills and expertise in the area of science and technology, which is crucial in the global knowledge economy as well as strengthening the capacity of Botswana universities to contribute to research, science and technology, and innovation by developing high-level skills and expertise in the fields of physics and engineering.

Minister Ngaka and his entourage are expected to be back in the country on October 18. ENDS