01 September, 2023
Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural resources signs Memorandum Of Understanding with Botswana Agricultural Sciences Professionals Association (BASPA)
The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural resources has a vision to be an Innovative and Research-Intensive University in Agriculture and Natural Resources, extensively, is on a mission to produce graduates and technological solutions, for sustainable development in agriculture and natural resources. Whilst Botswana Agricultural Science Professionals Association’s mandate is to revive Botswana’s Agricultural sector through the skills and knowledge of agricultural professionals. Having noted that they have similar mandate, BUAN and BASPA acknowledge the essential need to work together to further their shared goals and hence the need to provide a framework of collaboration to set out the responsibilities and expectations of both Parties. In his remarks the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ketlhatlogile Mosepele said that, BUAN’s operational philosophy is to not only contribute to making Botswana Food and Nutrition Secure, but also to inculcate the principles of Environmental Sustainability in Botswana. BUAN strategy prioritizes Food and Nutrition security through the development and adoption of novel Research and Innovation (R&I) approaches to ultimately inform food system transformation and serve as catalysts for change. He said that research centers of Bio-economy and Sustainable Resources are a testament to BUAN’s commitment to intensify research aimed at leveraging on the benefits of Agriculture and Natural Resources sectors to facilitate Botswana’s socio-economic growth. He believes that with this partnership, BUAN will live to its potential to facilitate Botswana’s socio-economic growth. He said that there is perfect synergy between BUAN and BSAPA as the services and activities of BASPA include, to Agricultural research, and capacity building in agriculture. It is foreseen that this MoU will facilitate the development of a mutually beneficial relationship between BUAN and its alumni. BUAN will consult BASPA where necessary during review of our programs for alignment with market needs. BASPA will also provide valuable feedback to BUAN on planning and development of new programs so that these are relevant. Essentially, this MoU facilitates closer engagement between BUAN and its alumni which is important for the development of the Agriculture and Natural Resources sectors in Botswana. The President of BASPA, Mr Mbiganyi Taka said that, with this MOU the two parties are obligated to develop Mentorship programs as well as networking sessions and provision of expertise for BUAN current students to prepare them for life after university. The association will also support the university in all feasible ways through an active and recognizable presence and voice with regards to issues of mutual interest. The Association will ambassadors of the University through uplifting its image, recruiting prospective students to take up agriculture as a profession and a sector to create jobs and wealth, this may be through participating in BUAN Outreach programs. Through collaboration the two parties will raise the profile and enhance the reputation of the University: strengthen the Association’s role in the life of the university community. He also said that, BASPA will be a key resource in fund raising processes and commits itself to assistance in recruiting the alumni volunteer resources required to support prospect identification, prospect research, and the cultivation and solicitation of major donors. BUAN looks forward to the collaboration, as Vice Chancellor ended by quoting the words of Idowu Koyenikan, “There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals”. The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural resources has a vision to be an Innovative and Research-Intensive University in Agriculture and Natural Resources, extensively, is on a mission to produce graduates and technological solutions, for sustainable development in agriculture and natural resources. Whilst Botswana Agricultural Science Professionals Association’s mandate is to revive Botswana’s Agricultural sector through the skills and knowledge of agricultural professionals. Having noted that they have similar mandate, BUAN and BASPA acknowledge the essential need to work together to further their shared goals and hence the need to provide a framework of collaboration to set out the responsibilities and expectations of both Parties. In his remarks the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ketlhatlogile Mosepele said that, BUAN’s operational philosophy is to not only contribute to making Botswana Food and Nutrition Secure, but also to inculcate the principles of Environmental Sustainability in Botswana. BUAN strategy prioritizes Food and Nutrition security through the development and adoption of novel Research and Innovation (R&I) approaches to ultimately inform food system transformation and serve as catalysts for change. He said that research centers of Bio-economy and Sustainable Resources are a testament to BUAN’s commitment to intensify research aimed at leveraging on the benefits of Agriculture and Natural Resources sectors to facilitate Botswana’s socio-economic growth. He believes that with this partnership, BUAN will live to its potential to facilitate Botswana’s socio-economic growth. He said that there is perfect synergy between BUAN and BSAPA as the services and activities of BASPA include, to Agricultural research, and capacity building in agriculture. It is foreseen that this MoU will facilitate the development of a mutually beneficial relationship between BUAN and its alumni. BUAN will consult BASPA where necessary during review of our programs for alignment with market needs. BASPA will also provide valuable feedback to BUAN on planning and development of new programs so that these are relevant. Essentially, this MoU facilitates closer engagement between BUAN and its alumni which is important for the development of the Agriculture and Natural Resources sectors in Botswana. The President of BASPA, Mr Mbiganyi Taka said that, with this MOU the two parties are obligated to develop Mentorship programs as well as networking sessions and provision of expertise for BUAN current students to prepare them for life after university. The association will also support the university in all feasible ways through an active and recognizable presence and voice with regards to issues of mutual interest. The Association will ambassadors of the University through uplifting its image, recruiting prospective students to take up agriculture as a profession and a sector to create jobs and wealth, this may be through participating in BUAN Outreach programs. Through collaboration the two parties will raise the profile and enhance the reputation of the University: strengthen the Association’s role in the life of the university community. He also said that, BASPA will be a key resource in fund raising processes and commits itself to assistance in recruiting the alumni volunteer resources required to support prospect identification, prospect research, and the cultivation and solicitation of major donors. BUAN looks forward to the collaboration, as Vice Chancellor ended by quoting the words of Idowu Koyenikan, “There is immense power when a group of people with similar interests gets together to work toward the same goals”.
01 September, 2023
MOENG COLLEGE LEARNERS ON INDUSTRIAL ATTACHEMENT AT BUAN
On their final day, we bid a fond farewell to our amazing young learners from Moeng College who spent 2 weeks with us, delving into the world of agriculture and natural resources! The learners were attached to our INCUHIVE programme, which is a three- year incubation programme that is intended to boost technical and business skills required to run commercial agriculture or natural resources enterprises. It is through this initiative that these learners had a hands-on experience. They had the opportunity to perform farming activities and have an idea of how the real industry operates. 🌿📚 Throughout their stay, they've shown incredible dedication and passion for learning. 🌟👏 We're so proud of their achievements and hope they leave with unforgettable memories and valuable insights.
06 April, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO PROF DEMEL TEKETAY FANTA FOR BEING RANKED #1 IN BOTSWANA AMONGST THE BEST SCIENTISTS
The Communication and Marketing department interviewed Prof Fanta, who is the Dean of Faculty of Natural Resources in BUAN, to get more insight on being ranked number one amongst best scientist in Botswana. “It gives me great Professional pride and personal pleasure to inform you that according to the just released 2023 Edition of its Ranking of Best Scientists in the field of Ecology and Evolution, Research.com, a leading academic platform for researchers, has informed me that ‘I have ranked #1 in Botswana among best scientists and #1875 in the world’ said Prof Fanta with a beaming smile. The ranking is based on D-index (Discipline H-index) metric, which only includes papers and citation values for an examined discipline. The ranking includes only leading scientists with D-index of at least 30 for academic publications made in the area of Ecology and Evolution. The Discipline H-index (D-index) is calculated by considering only the publications and their citation values deemed to belong to an examined discipline. The h-index is a measure used to indicate the impact and productivity of a researcher based on how often his/her publications have been cited. Research.com is the number one research portal for science rankings. Its mission is to make it easier for professors, research fellows, and those studying for a PhD or a master’s degree to progress with their research and to ensure they are always up-to-date with the latest conferences around the world and publications related to their work. It is also involved in the publication of an annual ranking of leading scientists in a wide range of scientific disciplines (https://research.com/careers/best-ecology-evolution-scientists-2023-report, accessed on 03 April, 2023). Research.com features an impressive list of best scientists ranked by their D-index and number of citations, which are compiled from various bibliometric data sources. I believe that my ranking has been a result of scrutiny of my bibliometric profiles obtained from my google Scholar citation profile (https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=itoxUrgAAAAJ, accessed on 03 March 2023), ResearchGate profile (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Demel-Teketay, accessed on 03 March 2023) and Scopus Profile (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7003930219, accessed on 03 March 2023). “My Google Scholar citation Profile displays a total of 320 publications with cumulative citations of 12,027, h-index of 65 and i10-index of 162); my ResearchGate Profile displays 287 research items (articles = 209, books = 9, book chapters = 24, conference articles = 30, Thesis = 1, data = 5, research presentation = 1, poster preprint = 8); my Scopus Profile (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7003930219, accessed on 03 March 2023) demonstrates 133 publications with 4, 627 documents cited by 3,236 documents and h-index of 43,” explained Prof Fanta. The full ranking for Botswana is available from https://research.com/scientists-rankings/ecology-and-evolution/bw while the full world ranking is available from https://research.com/scientists-rankings/ecology-and-evolution Congratulations Prof Fanta on this tremendous achievement!!!
06 April, 2023
Wheat project and BUAN Collaboration wins National Research Excellence Award
BUAN former PhD student was awarded a prestigiousprice in the first Botswana National Research Excellence Awards, under AGRICULTURE category, in a glamorous event held at GICC on the 7th March 2023, administered by Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology. Dr Patrick Kelven Mashiqa has been working on wheat since 2007 to 2022 as a Principal Scientific Officer at Ministry of Agriculture, collaborating with BUAN under the supervision of Professor Samodimo Ngwako and Professor Florah Pule-Maulenberg. He obtained his MSc and PhD in Crop Science through wheat. Dr Mashiqa’s topic was titled ‘Evaluation of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes for adaptation to Botswana’. The overall aim of the project was to investigate on agronomic and physiological aspects of wheat genotypes and come up with those that do well in Botswana climate to release them as varieties for our Country in order to contribute to food security. This award reflects strongly on BUAN research, and it resonates well with our vision of being an innovative and research-intensive University. We congratulate Dr Mashiqa and his Professors for the achievement.
31 March, 2023
Botswana National Ecosystem Assessment
The Government of Botswana through the Department of Environmental Affairs has appointed the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) as the Implementing Agency for the Botswana National Ecosystem Assessment (BNEA) project, which is expected to last for the next 3 years. Background The Botswana National Ecosystem Assessment (BNEA) project is a Government of Botswana Project funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) of the Federal Republic of Germany. The BNEA is being facilitated as a larger project by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network (BES-NET) in partnership with UNESCO. Technical support and training during the implementation of the project is facilitated by the United Nations Environmental Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Objectives The BNEA is aimed at: 1. Producing baseline data on status and trends of the ecosystems, highlighting the pressures and drivers of change, and the mitigation measures possible, 2. Producing scientific evidence in the integrated management of ecosystems, and promotion of the sustainable use of ecosystems and their value to societal well-being, 3. Signify the science-policy interface in the facilitation and formulation of informed decisions in the sustainable management of ecosystems. A team comprising of BUAN Staff and colleagues from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, recently engaged in a project scope exercise within the Central District (Tswapong area), on the 20-24 March 2023, in which they were to pre-establish contacts, who would be a gateway to traditional indigenous knowledge of agroecosystems, hill ecosystem wetlands as well as aquatic ecosystems.
23 March, 2023
BUAN-Moeng College Collaboration
BUAN, Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MESD) Central Region and Moeng College convened on the 23rd of March 2023 at Palapye Sub-Regional Office to discuss modalities for BUAN-Moeng College collaboration through “adopt a school model”. BUAN was presented by Prof. M. Kgosimore (Dean, Faculty of Sciences) and Dr. K. Mabusa (Senior Lecturer-Agricultural Education), MESD Central Region was represented by Ms. M. Maposa (Chief Education Officer) and Mr. S. Maphorisa (Principal Education Officer 1), while Moeng College was represented by Mr. P. Thupa (School Head), Mr. O. Dubula (Deputy School Head), Ms. F. Tsatsi (Head of Department) and Mr. T. Segaise (Senior Teacher 1 - Agriculture). BUAN and Moeng College have shared vision in multiple agricultural pathways and thus can both benefits from each other in terms of i) curriculum development/review ii) capacity building iii) shared resources iv) agribusiness showcasing v) student motivation (subject fairs, skills demonstration, plot preparations) vi) research and community outreach and vii) promotion of science for agriculture – career counselling. The team agreed on the drafting of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to guide the collaboration
21 March, 2023
BUAN meet with Ministry of Communication, Knowledge and Technology consultants.
On 21st March 2023 BUAN management consisting of Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs and Research, accompanied by Deans of faculties met with consultants from the Ministry of Communication, Knowledge and Technology. The purpose of the meeting was to find ways in which the Government of Botswana can merge, Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI) and Botswana Digital & Innovation Hub (BIDH). The Government of Botswana has embarked on rationalisation of its State Owed Enterprises (SOEs) to make them more efficient in delivering public mandate. BUAN will assist the Ministry to craft modalities for a seamless merge. Other Research, Science and Innovation issues were also discussed that will help the consultants to make inform decision before giving the ministry their recommendations.
15 March, 2023
BUAN’S Agrovoltaic Project Launch
On the 15th March 2023, BUAN launched its first ever Agrovoltaic project and delegates from across the globe came to celebrate this milestone. Among the people present at the event was our Chancellor and guest speaker of launch, His Honor the Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, who said that the project will go a long way towards achieving financial sustainability for BUAN. The Agrovoltaic project is where both land and solar energy are used for agricultural production. This will reduce BUAN’s reliance on Botswana Power corporation for electricity. The Vice Chancellor, Professor Ketlhatlogile Mosepele said that through this initiative, BUAN will supply itself with electricity and sell excess power to Botswana Power Corporation. This project is a step towards the university’s mission which is to produce innovative graduates and technological solutions for sustainable development of agriculture and natural resources. The launch ended with delegates visiting the site to harvest vegetables planted underneath the solar panels.
10 March, 2023
Botswana National Research Excellence Awards
The National Research Excellence Awards are directed towards Botswana’s novel approaches for promoting research and efficient knowledge generation and management as a vital resource for national development. The awards are created as a means of recognition and an incentive to both individual researchers and research groups/teams for their impactful research for national development towards achievement of the knowledge society, and hence the knowledge economy. The objective of these awards is to recognize, reward research excellence towards sustainable research for a knowledge-based economy and to raise profile of research conducted in Botswana. Today we interviewed Dr Tefo Force Thema who is one of the awardees. In which category of awards did you win? Early Career Researcher: This is a category awarded to a distinguished individual academic or professional staff member who is actively involved in research and is within 10 years of their latest Graduate degree. In this category I got position one (1). How do you feel about your win? It is one of the most exciting times in my life and fulfilling moment in my career. Being recognized nationally for the hard work that I do with passion brings about self-realization and satisfaction to have significantly contribute to humankind. What was your research focus? The research focus was on innovating on new interventions and technologies that would address the global climate changes through green routes and paths. The reduction of emitted heavy metals that destroy the atmospheric ozone layer during the commercial production of energy during the extraction of energy from coal. These green approaches being simple and cheap. How will you research contribute to BUAN and Botswana at large? This research is very important as it puts BUAN in an excellent position as an important contributor to transform Botswana from its dependency on natural resources to knowledge based economy. BUAN’s mandate to significantly help the Botswana Government to diversify its economy on the fact that the Government is the sole shareholder hence BUAN must play a measurable role in addressing societal mishaps. What would you like to say to your colleagues regarding participating in research and such awards? Universities are naturally institutions where there must be imagination to extract relevant knowledge. Based on the above there has to be intensive cutting edge research which has significant impact on society and the environment. It is therefore very important to carry out research and report its findings. Participating in such research excellence awards platform is critical as this is where you sell and fly your institution BUAN would like to congratulate Dr Thema for his achievement.
09 March, 2023
BUAN-GUAP STUDENT & STAFF EXCHANGE PROGRAM
Today BUAN and the Turkish embassy celebrated the success of BUAN graduate students Chandapiwa Moses, Ompelege Keolopile Matenanga and Kelebonye Ramolekwa who will be participating in the Erasmus+ is the European Union Programme in Turkey they will be based in Gaziantep University . This programme focuses in the fields of education, training, youth and sport from 2021-2027. It offers inclusive education, training, informal and nonformal learning, ultimately equip participants with the qualifications and skills needed for their contribution in society. BUAN-GUAP Student & Staff Exchange Program bilateral engagement between BUAN and Gaziantep university emanated from the current challenges of shortages of state-of-the-art infrastructure for research. This initiative will enhance BUAN’s innovative initiatives towards becoming a research-intensive university. This programme is also inclusive of staff. In that respect an Erasmus+ student and staff mobility Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between BUAN and GUAP was signed in January 2023. This Memorandum of Agreement entails student training and research internship for at least 3 months with the Food Engineering Department-Gaziantep University. The department specialises on grain analysis and food processing; hence the students will be engaged with metabolomics profiling and food processing analysis of their PhD research samples. Kelebonye’s Project title: Dissecting gamma irradiated induced polygenic mutations associated to yield and nutritional value in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) where she investigates the induced genetic variability and nutritional value of gamma irradiated cowpea mutants to inform their food applicability. Her objective is to identify the induced change in anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) associated with the inhibition of digestibility and bioavailability of nutrients in gamma irradiated cowpea mutant Ompelege ‘s Projet is titled: Development of functional yoghurt using indigenous plant extracts in Botswana she intends to develop functional yoghurts enriched with extracts from indigenous plants in Botswana namely, Morula (Sclerocarya birrea), Moretologa (Ximenia americana), Mowana (Adansonia digitata) and Mogose (Bauhinia petersiana) and analyse its quality characteristics. She will analyze nutritional and phytochemical composition of Morula, mowana, mogose and moretologa . And to Develop functional yoghurt enriched with indigenous plant extracts and evaluate it in terms of physico-chemical composition, sensory, functional, and microbiological properties. Furthermore, she will assess shelf stainability of developed functional yoghurts during storage. Chandapiwa’s project title: Malted sorghum grains as energy source for layers and effects of herbaceous legumes on egg quality. The objective of her study is to investigate the effects of malted sorghum grains and influence of herbaceous legumes on nutrient digestibility and egg quality of layer chickens reared in cages. She will Investigate the effects of partial replacement of maize grains with graded levels of malted sorghum grains on nutrient digestibility of layer chickens reared under the cages system and the effects of incorporating herbaceous legume in malted sorghum diets on nutrient digestibility of layer chickens reared under the cage system. She will assess the effects of partial replacement of maize grains with graded levels of malted sorghum grains on egg production and quality traits of layer chickens reared under the cages system. Thereafter, Assess the effects of herbaceous legume incorporated into malted sorghum diets on egg production and quality traits of the layer chickens Parameters to be analyzed on sorghum (malted and unmalted) and maize grains prior to feed formulation Speaking at the meeting with the new Turkish Ambassador His Excellency Ahmet Idem Akay said that he was happy for the students who will be travelling to visit Turkey and hopes for more activities in the pipeline between BUAN and Turkey will come to reality. Present at this meeting was was the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof Othusitse Madibela , who added on to say that this came at an opportune time and hopes for further interactions with the Embassy.
23 February, 2023
SENIOR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY RETREAT
The University’s Strategic Plan “Inspiring a Sustainable Growth” was approved by Council in January 2022. The Strategy set the direction for the University for the latter part of the NDP11 Plan Period (2023) to the mid-point of the NDP 12 Plan Period (2026). The appointment of a new Vice Chancellor, the effective transfer to the Ministry of Education and Skills Development and the re-alignment of the National Planning Cycle, with NDP12 commencing as from April 2025, preceded by a Transitional Plan (2023-2025), provides an opportunity to review the current Strategic Plan and, if required, re-align the Strategy to the new current reality. The retreat will commenced with an assessment of BUAN’s Strategy Management Maturity , followed by a review of the “Big Picture” to determine if the Strategy is still valid. This is to be followed by a deep dive to examine the more granular details of the strategic plan including objectives, measures, targets and initiatives. The outcome of the retreat will provide a high-level overview of the progress in implementing the University Strategy and answers to the following key questions: a) ‘How well is the institution performing?’ b) ‘Are we doing the right things?’ c) ‘Are we doing things, right?’ d) ‘What should we be doing in the future?’
20 February, 2023
BOTSWANA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES HOSTS A STAKEHOLDER’S BREAKFAST MEETING
The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources held a Stakeholder’s Breakfast Meeting on the 20th February 2023, where the Vice Chancellor Professor Ketlhatlogile Mosepele shared the University’s vision and his road map as the newly appointed 2nd Vice Chancellor of the University. In his remarks he highlighted the purpose of the meeting as a way of exploring possibilities for collaboration with stakeholders in the agriculture and natural resources sectors and thereby collectively contribute to national, regional, and international development goals and agendas, and to serve mutual interests. In sharing the new strategy, the Vice chancellor said that BUAN activities are guided by the Strategic Plan for 2022-2027, whose Vision is to transform BUAN into an Innovative and Research-Intensive University in Agriculture and Natural Resources”. The mission is “to produce innovative graduates and technological solutions, for sustainable development in agriculture and natural resources sectors”. He also said that, by delivering on this mission BUAN will enhance its contribution to the SADC Common Agenda on promoting sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development in the region. It will also enhance the ability of the University to contribute to sustainable growth in agriculture and natural resources sectors and overall socio-economic development in Botswana and the SADC region. Regarding partnership, the Vice Chancellor suggested that collaboration with public Universities may involve joint development of research programs, staff and student exchange, joint national conferences on issues of national significance, joint supervision of graduate students, joint research publications, and development of joint degree programs. He further highlighted that collaboration with research oriented public institutions may be through joint research and development activities related to agriculture and natural Resources, and technology among others, as this would maximize the impact of research for the benefit of Botswana and the region. The Vice Chancellor further noted that collaboration between BUAN and Civil Society and International Development Agencies may be on the establishment of research and outreach projects/programmes for addressing issues related to Environment, Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation. Such collaboration may also be on projects that promote the achievement of SDGs, particularly Goals 1 and 2 on “No Poverty” and Zero Hunger”. Regarding the private sector, the VC highlighted that partnership may be through, among other models, Public Private Partnerships, in developing productive enterprises. After sharing the strategic plan with the stakeholders, he concluded by saying that he wishes for Botswana to be food and nutrition secure by leveraging on its agricultural and natural resources. He also emphasized that he wished to see Batswana actively involved across the entire value chain of the agriculture and natural resources landscape. Stakeholders were also given an opportunity to share their thoughts on areas of possible collaboration and partnerships and on a way forward. In their comments they showed appreciation for the VC having shared the University Road map and they made commitments to support BUAN where possible.