10 Nov 2019

Science and technology is critical in driving Botswana’s economic development, says acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research Science and Technology Mr Aupa Masesane. 

Speaking during the commemoration of world science day at Botswana Innovation Hub Science Park on November 8, Mr Masesane urged Batswana to work together to ensure that science and technology became a transformative tool to achieve the country’s sustainable development goals. 

He said innovators needed to facilitate solutions to real life problems through science and technology to enable the country to compete with other countries which had achieved socio-economic transformation through technology. 

Mr Masesane described the National Policy on Research, Science, Technology and Innovation as a reaffirmation of values and commitments that government had put in place to re-evaluate technology and science development. 

He said science-driven activities such as conferences were efforts to promote technology and science development in the country. 

He said all stakeholders in the research, science and technology fraternity should come together to develop strategies for the reconfiguration of resources towards the sustainable development of the country. 

For his part, Botswana Innovation Hub chief executive officer Mr Alan Boshwaen said the country needed to integrate academic policy and privatisation including the democratisation of open science and technology in order to move Botswana forward. 

He said all stakeholders needed to be inclusive in promoting participation driven by innovation in order to deliver scalable projects for the development of the country. 

The technology park, he said, was a starting point to achieving real transformation for the country. Ends