17 Jun 2019

Investing in research and documentation will boost the country’s agenda on employment creation.

Food Natives Botswana managing director, Mr Moagisi Gokatweng, said this at a regional Mathematics and Science Fair for Ghanzi, Chobe and North West districts in Maun on Saturday.

Mr Gokatweng stated that Batswana’s innovative ideas were lost due to lack of research and documentation.

He said Food Natives produced Mosukujane Ice Tea, but it was sad that some information on producing ice tea was from international researchers.

Mr Gokatweng, therefore, encouraged Mathematics and Science students to identify challenges and come up with solutions and urged Africans to research, document and develop solutions.

Mr Gokatweng said the challenge with Batswana and Africans was that they came up with innovative ideas, but abandoned them expecting solutions from elsewhere.  He noted the use of scarecrows at farms to scare birds was an innovative idea that equalled use of robotics to do the work in the absence of humans.

Ghanzi, Chobe and North West, Mathematics and Science Fair regional chairperson, Mr Kelebogile Gaboeme, said the event aimed at motivating students to enjoy the two subjects as well as cultivate spirit of innovation among them.

He noted that science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning must be at par with current technologies, and further appealed for support from stakeholders to ensure students from all regions attended the fairs and to also to assist with resources.

In an interview, one of the participants, Moses Unona from Ngami Junior Secondary School in Sehithwa said their ‘automatic weigh bridge’ project aimed at helping government to have a weigh bridge at entry points of villages to easily determine loads from trucks in the process helping to protect roads infrastructure from overloaded heavy trucks.

Laone Muzila from Liswani Junior  Secondary School in Chobe District said their ‘alerting light’ project helped to address theft because it automatically switched on in case of intrusion around its environment. ENDS