News

The University of Botswana (UB) on the 31st of August 2026 successfully hosted the 2026/2027 Academic Year Technology Exhibition, an initiative geared towards promoting student innovation, entrepreneurship and stronger engagement between academia and the technology industry.

Held at the Student Centre (Block 139 Foyer), the student-led event organised by the IT COS Botswana club, the third edition of the Academic Year Technology Exhibition was organised under the theme “High Performing Organization Means High Performing Tools – Better Results Tied To Better Tools.”

The exhibition brought together UB students, corporate sponsors, technology companies and IT industry stakeholders to showcase digital projects, prototypes, technology products and technology-enabled services.

According to the IT COS Botswana Secretary General, Mr Pako Dobo the event was tailor-made to strengthen the Industry-Ready Alumni initiative, with a particular focus on creating practical interaction between students and industry. Further, the initiative sought to address the existing gap between academic learning and the practical skills and requirements expected of students within the technology industry.

In addition, the event provided opportunities for collaboration between the UB Student Representative Council (UB-SRC), students, technology companies and other stakeholders.

A key feature of this year's exhibition was the focus on the complete life cycle of technology products and services. Instead of focusing solely on the development or demonstration of technological products, participants were assessed on how they understood and address the different stages of a product or service's life cycle.

The judging framework covered product existence, product recognition, product search, product acquisition, product usage, preventive maintenance, product repair, product replacement and recycling and reuse.

Through this approach, students will be encouraged to consider practical questions surrounding technology including what products and services exist, the problems they solve, how users become aware of them, where suitable solutions can be found and how they can be acquired affordably.

The framework will also examine responsible technology use including software and driver updates, cybersecurity, physical security and protection against damage.

Participants further explored how technology faults can be identified and repaired, when products should be upgraded or replaced and how obsolete technology can be repurposed or transformed into useful or sellable products.

Similarly, the exhibition also aligned with the broader objective of contributing towards the ongoing transition into a High Performing Organisation (HPO) standard at UB.

To that end, the organisers maintained that better results should be deliberately linked to better tools, better systems and better-informed users.

The technology exhibition, therefore, presented an opportunity for UB to bring innovation, practical learning and industry engagement together, while encouraging students to view technology not only as a field of academic study but also as a tool for solving problems, creating opportunities and contributing to a high-performing institution.