15 Aug 2022

Okavango Research Institute (ORI) has appealed to Batswana to help them raise funds for their silver jubilee, which will be celebrated concurrently with University of Botswana’s 40 years anniversary.

The celebrations are billed for October 27.

ORI will celebrate in Maun where it is based, while UB will celebrate in Gaborone.

Speaking at ORI stakeholders meeting in Maun on Friday, ORI director, Professor Joseph Mbaiwa explained that the two institutions did not have a budget for the celebrations, hence they were appealing to the public to come up with fund raising ideas.

He highlighted that UB was built from community engagement and contributions through Motho le Motho Kgomo initiative, a noble act that remained profound to the success of Botswana’s education system.

Prof. Mbaiwa said the tourism industry was key to ORI in that some of their research projects were conducted in the Okavango Delta, which was a tourist attraction. 

He said people from the Okavango and surrounding villages played a key role in protecting the delta so that it remained in its natural form, which prompted the establishment of ORI in 1997, to facilitate any research conducted in the delta and craft policies that helped preserve the Okavango.

The director stated that the institution had immensely contributed to the formulation of Okavango Management Development Plan and listing of the Okavango Delta as a World Heritage site.

“I believe the tourism industry uses the fact that Okavango Delta is a World Heritage site when they market their businesses, which is why we can’t separate our institution from tourism businesses because we both benefit from the delta,” stated Prof. Mbaiwa. 

He said ORI had partnered with Okavango Research Basin communities, global community, donors in Botswana and abroad and UNESCO World Heritage Council.

Prof. Mbaiwa stated that 70 per cent of ORI funding was raised from external donors as they wrote proposals and also partnered with other learning institutions in the world for research. 

He said ORI was instructed to incorporate the public in their celebrations, hence called on  government, private sector and communities to actively table ideas on how to raise funds.

Prof. Mbaiwa said the celebration would also be a time for the institution to acknowledge its former directors for paving a way and leaving a long lasting legacy. ends