31 Jan 2021

Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) and TheNeoHub have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at promoting bilateral relations and long term collaboration. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Gaborone recently, BUAN vice chancellor, Professor Jasper Rees said one of the university’s key missions was to produce market-ready graduates for the agriculture and natural resources sectors.

Professor Rees said market readiness of graduates would not only be employability, but job creation, coupled with their willingness and ability to adapt to the continuously evolving global economy. “By engaging in this MoU, together with TheNeoHub, we aim to develop BUAN graduates in entrepreneurship skills with the intention to enable them to venture into agriculture and natural resources enterprises with confidence and finesse,” he said.

On the other hand, TheNeoHub founder and director, Ms Zindzi Letsididi said she was excited at the opportunity of partnering with an ‘incomparable’ university such as BUAN. Ms Letsididi said as an innovation lab, which aimed to provide a one stop shop for innovative entrepreneurship, with intentional interest in developing and propelling its stakeholders towards becoming sustainable locally made key but globally recognised players.

“Furthermore, we strongly believe that to fully optimise our mandate, we cannot do it alone, hence our collaboration with BUAN,” she said. She added that her desire was to make significant contribution to the agricultural value chain through promoting technology and innovation in the agriculture sector.

TheNeoHub is a 100 per cent citizen-owned innovation lab based in Gaborone, which was established to co-create a community of purpose driven innovators, who aim to answer current global issues by offering creative, ground-breaking and sustainable solutions. ends