Technological solutions today's need for Botswana
Pini Bothoko | Friday April 12, 2019 13:37
Palai said this when officiating at the programme’s opening ceremony that was held at Huawei Beijing Executive Briefing Centre (EBC)recently stating that the students’ investment by Huawei is adequate and students should take advantage of the opportunity as the country’s leaders of tomorrow.
The 10 students taking part in the Seeds For The Future ICT programme are from University of Botswana (four), Botho University (three) and Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BUIST) (three).
He stated that the programme is just the right stimulus for securing the future in the development of Botswana.
Palai said he was happy that during the students’ stay in China, Huawei will enhance their knowledge in the areas of 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Cloud, to mention but a few.
He said so to encourage students to grab the opportunity to advance themselves and Botswana to the next level.
“In our region, there are issues of climate (change), early warning and meteorological predictions to contend with. How do we harness ICT to move Botswana from its upper middle-income status to a high-income country as aspired in our Vision 2036? We trust that this programme will impart skills, knowledge and exposure for you to inspire ideas on cutting-edge health, education, agriculture, tourism, business support and many other innovative solutions,” Palai said.
Palai added that he sees in Huawei’s flagship programme a valuable contribution toward building of a new type of international relationship and a community of a shared future for mankind, as envisioned by China’s President, Xi Jinping.
“We see a tangible effort towards Africa’s industrialisation and modernisation. It is a moment of considerable delight to say that the Botswana Seeds for the Future comprise some of the best talent in the ICT field,” he said.
Palai said even the Minister of Transport and Communications Dorcus Makgato when recently addressing the students before departing for China, recognised the significance of Huawei’s forward-looking Seeds of the Future flagship programme.
“We reiterate this message today and we show linkages with broader policy considerations of the People’s Republic of China, and its dealings with Botswana,” he said.
He stated that he was confident that the programme comprises of some of the best talent in ICT field, who will surely possess the right level of passion and dedication to the cause hence a reason to be proud of themselves.
He also added that President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who last year visited Huawei office in Beijing to receive the donated programme, gave it a full recognition and appreciation hence the expectation is to see positive results.
“Huawei is truly earning its place as a reputable corporate citizen on the ICT landscape in Botswana and their investment in the human capital development of young Batswana is on course to sowing the right seeds,” Palai said.
He went on to call on Huawei to consider more ways of entrenching their presence in Botswana, such as establishing an ICT Datacentre and innovation training centres that could serve not only Botswana but also the region and the rest of Africa.
Representing the students, Tirelo Ramasedi a UB student, thanked Huawei for the opportunity given to them to enhance their knowledge base on ICT, through courses such as basic and advanced training.
“It provides a great opportunity for us to define intrinsically Botswana’s course of technology and innovation thus enabling the possibility of a knowledge economy that is embedded in our national vision and policy,” she said.