Starting from humble beginnings as an IT focused college (NIIT) in 1997 and now a fully-fledged multi-disciplinary university, Botho University (BU) has produced over 10 000 graduates working in different sectors of the economy. The university has exported higher education in the southern African region and promises to expand its reach to the African continent.
BU hosted its 25th anniversary celebration ceremony and invited their key stakeholders at their Gaborone main campus recently as the conclusion of numerous silver jubilee festivities held throughout the year.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Hon. Thulaganyo Segokgo highlighted the university’s expansion to other Africa countries is aligned with government’s effort to create an export led economy which contributes to national GDP and the transition from resource based to knowledge based economy. Hon. Segokgo hailed BU for leveraging on this opportunity by placing a strong focus on ‘Excellence, Leadership and Innovation.’
He said the strategic collaborations that they continue to forge with other institutions and their commitment to quality higher education are crucial for the institution’s future growth and development. He further applauded BU for the effort to produce quality and industry ready graduates who are also critical thinkers and agile through the Botho Graduate Profile (BGP).
He said: “Today’s employers are looking for graduates who possess more than just the technical and vocational skills but who have soft skills to adapt to ever shifting market demands. It is gratifying to note that the BGP is central to what you do at Botho University, be it in class or extracurricular activities”
Furthermore, he commended BU for promoting entrepreneurship by partnering with Stellenbosch where students are given business support. He also acclaimed the university’s World Bank and IFC employability survey results and said that it’s a demonstration of their strong initiatives aimed at strengthening linkages with Industry to produce competitive graduates. “It is for this reason that the government continues to sponsor a sizable number of students to Botho annually. Botswana needs Institutions such as Botho University, for her to fully meet the human capital needs of the economy”
In her remarks, BU Vice Chancellor, Dr Sheela Raja Ram indicated that the celebrations show how they have grown as an institution as next year will be their 10th year as a university. She said as they expand their footprint, they realized the importance of delivering quality education hence they adopted sustainable management approaches to produce industry ready and employable graduates. “With a laser like focus on nurturing employable graduates who can become productive citizens – we are investing in people and technologies and the results are evident. Our employability initiatives were assessed by International Finance Corporation IFC – World Bank Group in 2021. 97% of our alumni said they recommend us – 87% of our students said they came to us because they wanted to start their own business. Employers like our graduates.”
Ram shared that they are leaders in innovation transformation and as testimony to that they recently received an excellent review from IFC and Delloite who stated that their digital maturity is excellent. Furthermore, she highlighted that they would not have achieved these milestones alone as they continuously collaborate with other institutions. Through their partnership with KTH University in Sweden, they implemented challenge driven education and launched innovation for sustainable development course.
This was influenced by their need to create an impact in the society and the environment through Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which resulted in the university investing heavily into sustainable development through renewable energy and social impact initiatives. Their sustainability agenda played a huge role in production of an electric car by their Electrical Engineering students and documentation of their Sustainability and Social Impact Report. She concluded that through their new 2023- 2028 strategy plan, they aspire to become a talented, vibrant and dynamic University community, an innovative and sustainable university and a driver for positive social impact.
Botho University (BU) celebrates 25 years of excellence, leadership and innovation
