BVI and BIUST collborate to boost research
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The General Manager of Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) Andrew Madeswi and Vice Chancellor of Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) Professor Otlogetwe Totolo last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cement their collaboration in areas of research and development in the fight against transboundary diseases and other diseases of public health and socio-economic importance in Botswana.
Speaking at the MoU signing, Madeswi explained that the collaboration with BIUST was enshrined in BVIs mission statement, which articulates that the vaccine institute will collaborate with its partners to research and manufacture targeted vaccines for the management of infectious diseases regionally and internationally.
As BVI we are keen on this collaboration with BUIST because it is an esteemed research institution. As a self-funding Institute, we consider collaborations that will drive our strategic business focus and support the delivery of solutions to our nation and other customers around the world. Our choice in BIUST meets these expectations, said Madeswi.
For his part, Professor Totolo said BIUST attaches a lot of value to collaborating and partnering with like-minded organizations as that will place them at a vantage position to reach unprecedented levels of success.
He described BVI as one of the most established institutions in the country, with a long and attractive track record in the field of scientific research.
Fairly a new university, BIUST stands a great opportunity to learn from the BVI story, particularly in the pursuit of sustainable animal health solutions which have created a solid anchor for the production of particularly cattle vaccines over long decades, he said.
Over the last four years, the two institutions have collaborated on human capital development, through which BVI hosted BIUST undergraduate and post-graduate students for workplace experience internships.
This is one gesture will go a long way in exposing our new talent to the real world of work and research which we greatly appreciate as an institution, said Professor Totolo.
Scientific experts at BVI also sit on BIUSTs Industrial Advisory Board, which gives input on the development of curricular at the university so as to align academics with industry expectations.
Said Professor Totolo: BVI experts play a pivotal role in the co-supervision of our students, another act of collaboration which facilitates cross-pollination of ideas and helps BIUST produce industry ready graduates.
One of the flagship projects under the MoU is research and development on the production and characterization of a recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus Vaccine. In recognition of the steady growth of the poultry sector in Botswana, BIUST and BVI have resolved to produce various poultry vaccines locally. Madeswi and Professor Totolo expressed confidence that their joint expertise and resources will help them deliver the poultry vaccine and support the local poultry business, in which a substantial number of small and subsistence farmers are participating.
This effort will also go a long way in supporting the Governments poverty eradication initiatives in poultry production, said Madeswi and Professor Totolo.
BVI and BIUST have also collaborated through exchanges and visits, including support towards BIUSTs Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) festival. The Research Team at BVI has also assisted a BIUST MSc student to complete her research on development of a PCR Assay to help detect Southern Africa Territories FMD strains.
The success of such a development which we are considering for commercialization, will improve diagnosis of foot of mouth disease in Botswana and in Africa, said Madeswi.
BVI was founded in 1978 with the strategic mandate of ensuring the sustainability of Botswanas beef industry by controlling trans-boundary animal diseases as well as diseases of public health concern. Through strict adherence to international vaccine standards set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as well as to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), sound quality management systems and a customer-centric approach, BVI has grown into a global provider of sustainable animal health solutions that produces and exports vaccines to over 15 countries in Africa and the Middle East.
BIUST on the other hand is a research-intensive University that specialises in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) at both undergraduate and post-graduate level. It aims to increase competitiveness, economic growth and sustainable development; address the shortage of skilled scientists and technologists; increase movement of skilled people across national boundaries; stimulate research, innovation, and technology transfer; improve societys aspirations to improve health, wealth and well-being; address increased demand for access to tertiary education; and enable a more competitive and innovative tertiary education sector.
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Local tennis team upbeat ahead of Billie Jean King cup
With almost two weeks until the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, which will be staged in Kenya from June 12-17, 2023, the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) ladies’ team coach, Ernest Seleke, is optimistic about reaching greater heights.
Billie Jean King Cup, or the BJK Cup, is a premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched as the Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The BJK Cup is the world’s largest annual women’s international team sports competition in terms of the number of nations that compete.
The finals will feature 12 teams (Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Seychelles, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) competing in the four round-robin groups of three. The four group winners will qualify for the semifinals, and the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup will be crowned after the completion of the knockout phase.
Closer to home, the BW Tennis team is comprised of Thato Madikwe, Leungo Monnayoo, Chelsea Chakanyuka, and Kelebogile Monnayoo. However, according to Seleke, they have not assembled the team yet as some of the players are still engaged.
“At the moment, we are depending on the players and their respective coaches in terms of training. However, I will meet up with Botswana-based players in the coming week, while the United States of America (USA) based player Madikwe will probably meet us in Kenya. Furthermore, Ekua Youri and Naledi Raguin, who are based in Spain and France respectively, will not be joining us as they will be writing their examinations,” said Seleke.
Seleke further highlighted the significance of this competition and how competitive it is. “It is a massive platform for our players to showcase their talent in tennis, and it is very competitive as countries target to get promoted to the world categories where they get to face big nations such as Spain, France, USA, and Italy. Though we are going to this tournament as underdogs because it is our second time participating, I’m confident that the girls will put in a good showing and emerge with results despite the odds,” highlighted Seleke.
Quizzed about their debut performance at the BJK Cup, he said, “I think our performance was fair considering the fact that we were newbies. We came third in our group after losing to North Macedonia and South Africa. We went on to beat Uganda, then Kenya in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play Burundi due to heavy rainfall and settled for the position 9/10,” he said.
For her part, team representative Leungo Monnayoo said they are working hard as they aim to do well at the tourney. “The preparations for the tourney have long begun because we practice each and every day. We want to do well, hence we need to be motivated. Furthermore, I believe in my team as we have set ourselves a big target of coming home with the trophy,” she said.
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Pep Stores donates sanitary towels to Popagano JSS
The Guidance and Counseling unit at Popagano Junior Secondary School received a donation of 790 sanitary towels from Pep stores on Thursday.
When presenting the donation, Mareledi Thebeng, the Dinokaneng Area Manager, highlighted their belief in giving back to the community, as their existence depends on the communities they serve. Thebeng pointed out that research indicates one in four girls miss school every day due to the lack of basic necessities like sanitary towels. Therefore, as a company, they strive to assist in alleviating this situation. She expressed hope that this donation would help ensure uninterrupted learning for girls.
Upon receiving the donation on behalf of the students, Charity Sambire, the President of the Student Representative Council, expressed her gratitude. Sambire specifically thanked Pep Store for their generous gift, speaking on behalf of the students, especially the girl child.
She conveyed their sincere appreciation for Pep Store’s compassion and quoted the adage, “Blessed is the hand that gives.” Sambire expressed the students’ hope for Pep Stores’ prosperity, enabling them to continue supporting the students. As a gesture of gratitude, the students pledged to excel academically.
During her speech, Motlalepula Madome, the Senior Teacher in Guidance and Counseling, highlighted that many students at the school come from disadvantaged backgrounds where parents struggle to provide basic necessities. Consequently, some students miss school when they experience menstruation due to this lack.
Madome emphasized the significance of the donation in preventing the girl child from missing lessons and its potential to improve the school’s overall results. She expressed the school’s gratitude and expressed a desire for continued support from Pep Stores.
Popagano Junior Secondary School, situated in the Okavango District, holds the second position academically in the North West region. Despite its location, the school has been dedicated to achieving excellence since 2017
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Botswana misses out critical PAP committee meeting
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) committee on gender, family, youth and people with disability in its sitting considered, adopted and recommended to the plenary session the preliminary report on the framework for the model law on gender equality.
According to the last week’s media release from PAP which is sitting with its various committees until June 2nd, the committee is following up the PAP initiative to draw up a model law on gender equality to enable national governments to harmonize, modernize and standardize their legislations to address local needs is set to be discussed in Plenary.
However, what is concerning is the fact that Botswana which is a member state missed the deliberations. Kgosi Mosadi Seboko who sat in the committee representing Botswana has since been ejected by parliament and this is a huge blow for a nation that is still battling equity and gender balance.
“Although PAP has no legislative powers it makes model laws for member states to adopt. PAP also develops protocols to be ratified by countries. The input of countries at Committee state is extremely critical. It now means the voice of Botswana is missing the discussions leading up to development of protocols or model laws,” said one of Botswana’s representative at PAP Dr. Kesitegile Gobotswang who is attending the current session.
While Botswana is missing, the committee meeting took place on the sidelines of the Sixth PAP second ordinary Session being held under the African Union Theme of the Year for 2023, “The Year of AfCFTA: Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area” in Midrand, South Africa and will run up to 2 June 2023. Chairperson of the Committee, Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala expressed satisfaction with preliminary processes undertaken so far towards the formulation of the Model Law,” a release from the PAP website reads.
“The law should be suitable to all countries whatever the predominant culture or religion is. The aim is to give an opportunity to women to participate in the economic, political and social development of the continent. Women are not well positioned and face a lot of obstacles. We are introducing the idea of equity in the Law because we cannot talk about equality without equity,” said Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala in the press statement.
The release has stated that among issues to be covered by the Model Law is the migratory movements of women. The Committee proffered that this has to be addressed at the continental level to ensure that migrant women enjoy all their rights and live with dignity in their destination country. The members of the Gender Committee undertook consultations to consolidate the contributions of the various stakeholders that will be the logical framework format for the Model Law.