10 Dec 2023

The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Defence Command and Staff College offers the country security personnel development that enhances the objectives of the national vision and presidential agenda, says President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Giving an address to the Senior Command and Staff Programme Class of 2023, at Glenn Valley Barrack in Gaborone, President Masisi said the college assists the country to meet its security obligations.

“It was the quest for military professionalism and self-reliance that obliged us as a nation to establish the Defence Command and Staff College to produce an agile, well-educated officer corps that is capable of leading our military to address challenges in an increasingly volatile, complex and uncertain operational environment,” Dr Masisi said.

He said the college had afforded the BDF to meet the capacity of personnel capacity development through education and training with a view of attaining desired combat preparedness and operational efficiency as evidenced by the latest graduating class.

“I therefore remind the Graduating Class of 2023 that they are privileged to have been selected to attend the Senior Command and Staff Programme. You have had an opportunity that exposed you to adaptive education and training that addresses the peculiarities of a contemporary operational environment,” the President stated.

He added that the graduates now have a clearer understanding of complex security challenges facing the world such as terrorism, transnational organised crime, human trafficking and illicit trade in wildlife products.

The President stressed his government's commitment to world peace and security and said he was pleased that among the graduates, the majority being BDF officers,  were allied military personnel from seven other African states; Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho who were also graduating from the course.

Officers from the Office of the President, the Ministry of Defence and Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Botswana Police Service, Botswana Prisons Service and the Directorate on Economic Crime and Corruption also graduated in addition to the BDF officers and allied military officers from sister African countries.

Colonel Dumisani Ndzinge, the Commandant of the BDF Defence Command and Staff College thanked African states for sending their officers to study in Botswana.

He said student exchanges amongst African military staff colleges as well as collaborative security efforts such as the Combined Joint African Exercise were critical building blocks towards achieving regional standby forces.

Col Ndzinge also thanked the University of Botswana Department of Political and Administrative Studies for their contribution to the curriculum.ENDS