The University of Botswana is no stranger to the Central University of Technology. The two universities have collaborations in research and academic thematic mobility of staff and students. Since the signing of their MoU, Work-Integrated Learning has been the pinnacle for this between the two.

On 24 and 25 February 2022, CUT welcomed a delegation from the University of Botswana led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. David Norris and his entourage - acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic Affairs, Prof. Richard Tabulawa, Director Legal Services, Mr Benbella Rwelengera, Director Institutional Planning, Mr Richard Neill, acting Director of the Centre for Academic Development, Dr Gomotsegang Pule, the Director of Information Technology, Mr Canaan Mathendele, the Senior Executive Assistant, Mr Moeng Segaetsho, Executive Assistant, Mrs Matshediso Zungu and acting Dean for the School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Jotia.

In his welcoming address, Prof. Alfred Ngowi, acting Vice-Chancellor and Principal, emphasised that by the year 2030, CUT would be a leading University of Technology shaping the future through innovation, and one of the tools to achieve that is through digitisation. “We are cautious. There is no possibility that we can be a leading African University of Technology when we are only operating in the Free State. We know that to be a leading University of Technology, we have to be digital. We have started the journey of digital transformation which has three focus areas - ICT strategy, data strategy, and the digital skills development strategy.”

Prof. Ngowi also highlighted that although the university envisions going digital, there are things that cannot be put on the cloud and cannot be digitised, hence it is essential to come together and collaborate with other institutions. “Things such as Work-Integrated Learning and sports cannot be digitised, we want to be able to share resources and get students from Botswana to come to South Africa and get exposure in the South African industry and vice-versa. The other possible area to tap into is sports. We know that Botswana has great sports facilities, so we will look into leveraging the partnership and sharing resources. We are happy to share with you what we are doing at our institution, and I believe that by working together, we can go far.”

The Vice-Chancellor of Botswana University, Prof. David Norris, expressed his excitement with what he has seen and heard primarily because the mission and vision of CUT are similar to what they want their university to achieve. “Your vision and mission are totally in sync with what we have at our university. There are many areas of commonality and synergy that can be the foundation for collaborating.”

Prof. Norris mentioned that the Botswana economy is grounded on diamonds, so having a jewellery school can benefit their country. “I am very impressed with the CUT’s jewellery design infrastructure. There are many other areas where I see synergy. I am also enthralled by the seamless efficiency and effectiveness of your processes. The internationalisation of the curriculum is something that we can do together, and we are excited and have learned a lot from you,” he said.

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CUT and Botswana delegates who formed part of the discussions at the Bloemfontein campus.