03 Nov 2026

The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) and Sowa Town Council will, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) come up with solutions that will develop the town and improve community livelihoods.

Speaking during the MoU signing, Friday in Gaborone, BUAN’s Professor Wellington Masamba said parties would ensure cordial relationship in the interest of improving livelihoods through teaching, research and creating employment opportunities through viable industries.

He said the MoU sought to facilitate efficient and effective implementation of the mandate of both parties by clearly defining areas of collaboration.

“There are many areas that BUAN and Sowa Town Council can collaborate on which we hope will be centralised in implementing this MoU,” said Prof. Masamba.

He said the MoU also sought to establish a framework of cooperation aimed at facilitating joint initiatives, a significant milestone marking the beginning of a collaborative journey that would benefit communities, enhance the impact and relevance of their research, service and programme offering a disaster-prone mutual support.

Sowa town mayor, Mr Mompoloki Moiteela, regarded the MoU as a strategic blueprint designed to translate research into real-world socio-economic growth.

“The collaboration comes at a critical time when our local authorities are aggressively driving national grassroots reforms. Central to this is the implementation of a newly developed economic and public works programme,” he said.

Mr Moiteela expressed gratitute for the guidance already offered to them, to prepare a business case and laying the groundwork for the inspired BUAN satellite campus in Sowa Town.

He said that as government transitioned the initiative for short term to lead into a skill driven sustainable livelihood pathway, their communities desperately needed quality technical training.

Through the technical expertise of BUAN, Sowa Town Council intended to directly up-lift and train economic beneficiaries within specialised market-relevant fields and Mr Moiteela said the partnership would provide targeted training in natural resources, beneficiation, and sustainable tourism ventures, landscaping environmental conservation and commercial urban agriculture.

“We want to equip our people with dignified practical skills so that they can graduate from state dependency into self-reliance and successful enterprises globally. In return, Sowa town pledges peaceful structural support. We are ready to open our facility for BUAN student engagement, provide hands-on community engagement for our researchers and grant practical land access for your satellite campus, agriculture and environmental pilot projects,” said Mr Moiteela. ENDS