05 Dec 2022

Botswana has received the German Africa Award in recognition of its outstanding achievement in the field of Science and Research.

The award was given to Botswana’s virologist, Dr Sikhulile Moyo for the discovery of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus in a sample of SARS-CoV2 and promptly reporting to the World Health Organisation.

Dr Moyo, a research laboratory director at the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, was able to sound the alarm on Omicron because Botswana had put a good testing system in place, meaning the discovery of Omicron was not an accident but the result of a strategic and intentional increase in diagnostics in the region.

Speaking in an interview, Dr Moyo said the award affirmed that the country’s investments on research and transformation in to a knowledge based economy over the past years were beginning to payoff and inform global public health.

“The collaboration between Botswana and Harvard that created Botswana-Harvard Partnership is a powerful example of what is possible, and how seeds planted in one context can develop into institutions with far more to offer than initially imagined,” stated Dr Moyo.

He said the ability to discover and detect a virus of so much global impact had placed Botswana as a force to be reckoned with in the medical research space and could lure foreign investment in research and innovation.

The discovery of Omicron, he said helped to amplify the country’s potential in medical research, positioned Botswana as a probable destination for research and illustrated that research efforts could make an impact far beyond Botswana’s borders.

Further, he stated that the discovery of Omicron was not a fluke but testament that Botswana had over the years been quietly modeling the value of prioritising human capital development on scientific research and innovation. He said training and capacity that was built to develop a surveillance strategy during the darker days of the HIV came in handy to further uncover the mutation of the COVID-19 virus hence the discovery of the Omicron virus.

The country, he said had since HIV days made positive strides in investing in scientists and medical researchers to inform global public health.

“Botswana has produced groundbreaking work that has improved health outcomes around the world, perhaps most notably in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission,” he said.

Dr Moyo said research had proven that Africa was the epicenter of infectious diseases, therefore, it was important for Botswana to position herself as a hub to find lasting solution to challenges posed by infectious diseases.

He pleaded for more government funding on research highlighting that most of the research was currently funded by external bodies.

Ministry of Health public relations officer, Dr Christopher Nyanga affirmed that the award was recognition of the high scientific knowledge that Botswana had grown over the years.

“It also shows that the country’s health system has evolved in sync with a modern health sector that is able to respond to current health challenges,” Dr Nyanga said.

He said the Ministry of Health was highly motivated by the achievement and the subsequent award and would continue collaborating with partners to strengthen the country’s health system.

The award is the country’s third German Africa Award. Former president, the late Sir Ketumile Masire and Mr Segolame Ramothwa, former head of MASA National Anti-retoviral therapy programme, received the same award in 1998 and 2006 respectively. ENDS