18 Mar 2019

Botswana needs women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field because there are upcoming projects requiring their involvement.

  This was said by Ms Otsile Chaboneka of Debswana when giving a keynote address at an International Women’s Day commemoration in Francistown recently.

She stated that the field of STEM was a critical component of Botswana’s economic development journey.  Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, she said,  remained at the centre of the creation of critical thinkers, increased science literacy and enabled the next innovators because “the future of work is based on technology.”

Ms Chaboneka said Africa has been identified as the next richest continent by scientists, and that going forward there would be innovations in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics. She appealed to women not to shy away from the engineering profession.

For her part, former Francistown West MP and human rights activist, Dr Habaudi Hubona decried the single parenthood phenomenon in the country, saying women bore the worst burden because a sizable number of families were female-headed.

She described the oppression of women and negativity towards them as a violation of human rights. Dr Hubona pointed out that women were 50 per cent or more of the world population, and that denying them their rights was tantamount to excluding half of humanity. “If you oppress women, you are actually denying them their human rights.  You are saying they are not humans,” she added.   She appealed for the education of women, adding that “educating a woman, is educating the world.”

Speaking at the same event, Francistown mayor, Ms Sylvia Muzila applauded some women for being pioneers of gender equality such as former Tatitown Customary Court president, Ms Ludo Mosojane, Riverside Hospital owner and renowned businesswoman, Dr Dorcus Mompati and Dr Hubona.

“These women have made history as they struggle for women to participate on an equal footing with men because women all over the world have been subordinated by men in decision making bodies,” she said.

Ms Muzila noted that Botswana subscribed to various international instruments calling for gender equality and women empowerment. She said chief among them was the Sustainable Development Goals,  African Union’s Agenda 2063 as well as the SADC protocol on gender and development.

She also encouraged women to venture into construction, saying the industry was not the preserve of men. ENDS