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University of Botswana (UB) Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris, says UB and the Diamonds for Development Fund have numerous opportunities for collaboration in research areas such as renewable energy and solar power, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, and mining.

Professor Norris said this during a recent courtesy visit to UB by the Diamonds for Development Fund delegation. The delegation comprised Diamonds for Development Fund Project Director, Mr Jon Samuel and Head of Programmes, Dr Matthew Chadwick. The purpose of the visit was to explore possible areas of establishing partnerships to support government aspirations on the development and diversification of Botswana’s economy and Vision 2036.

Professor Norris stated that UB was undergoing transformation to become more relevant and impactful to society. He noted that for many years, UB focused primarily on human capital development, which led to a lag in innovation and research. He emphasised that the new strategic direction of UB was now geared towards becoming research-intensive, fostering innovation and enhancing value chains.

He underscored the importance of product development and its subsequent release within an ecosystem that supported it, including the private sector, government and civil society. He added that UB students demonstrated considerable talent, as evidenced by their innovative products.

Diamonds for Development Fund Head of Programmes, Dr Matthew Chadwick, said the Fund was established recently as a sequel to a new lease agreement between Botswana Government and De Beers to support the development and diversification of Botswana’s economy and vision 2036.

Dr Chadwick noted that the Fund was independent from the Government and DeBeers. He said the Fund was looking for partnership with institutions such as UB to realise its mandate. He observed that the Fund was still at foundation stage that included good development programming, research on economic opportunities in Botswana and drafting governance policies as well as structure.

In addition, Dr Chadwick said key areas of high opportunity included renewable energy and solar, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and mining. He further noted that other small sectors they were looking to promote included sports, culture and arts. Again, he said they were looking forward to financing research studies as well as small businesses.