14 Oct 2013

A total of 3 076 students graduated from the University of Botswana and Botswana College of Agriculture this year.

Officiating at the graduation ceremony on October 12, Professor Edward Ayensu encouraged graduates to consider themselves members of a privileged class because they benefited from the successive national education policies, which considered education as the basis of social harmony.

Prof Ayensu said Botswana and the rest of Africa must realise that the most important resource, which the continent possessed was its trained and highly qualified human resources.

He highlighted that serious examination of all the recently developed nations and rapidly developing countries attested to the fact that without brains and hands of their first class skilled and academically qualified people, such nations could not have achieved the enviable economic and social growth for their people.

Again, he indicated that with proper handling of the continent’s natural resources, the youth were poised to be at the beginning of an unprecedented economic, political and social period of progress.

Prof Ayensu, who is also a prolific writer, said since independence, Botswana’s track record in terms of economic growth had been phenomenal. “At independence in 1966, Botswana was one of the least developed countries of the world with per capita income of around USD70 and three decades on you are enjoying a per capita income of over USD16, 000,” he noted.

Furthermore, he said graduates represented a fresh crop of human capital expected to have creative minds and hopefully be willing to take risks by thinking big to initiate sound diversified activities which will bring economic and social prosperity to Botswana.

Thus, he pleaded with graduates to say no to corruption practices in order to help fight the rampant corruption currently witnessed by the continent. Professor Ayensu also urged graduates to pay special attention to aspects of governance which directly affect livelihood security of the country which include accountability, transparency and adherence to the rule of law.

“I would like your youthful enthusiasm to be a major contributor in changing the complexion of your country by bringing out new and innovative ways of closing the gap between the middle income group and the poor especially those who reside in the rural areas of the country,” he noted.

Furthermore, he said a decade or two from now some of the graduates may be holding important economic, social and political posts in Botswana to ensure that the national agenda was on course.

Therefore, he highlighted that their main mission was to take advantage of the relatively small population and substantial national wealth to diversify the economy and lift the significantly poor population out of total poverty.

Those with entrepreneurship skills, he said must think of investing in the productive and job creation sectors of the national economy adding that there were currently new ways of doing it.

UB vice chancellor, Professor Thabo Fako said the university had prepared graduates to lead society ethically with ideas that can help solve problems for other citizens. Prof Fako also added that graduates have been equipped with knowledge and skills thus serve their communities with dignity, compassion and excellency.

In this day, Professor Fako said societies were intertwined hence advisable to have international collaborations to ensure long life learning. Ends