Ukraine Ambassador Pays Vice Chancellor Courtesy Call to Foster Collaboration
Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris, hosted Ukraine Ambassador to Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique Her Excellency, Ms Liubov Abravitova, for a courtesy call at the University of Botswana on January 27, 2022.
This was Ms Abravitova’s second visit to the University of Botswana. The first was in October last year during which she expressed her desire to help the University of Botswana establish partnerships and collaborations with some universities in Ukraine, particularly in the areas of medicine, science and technology.
Ms Abravitova indicated that Ukraine would soon be sending a delegation to Botswana to establish contact with institutions of higher learning in Botswana among them the University of Botswana. The Minister of Higher Education will lead the delegation, comprising representatives from different universities in Ukraine, said the Ambassador. Ms Abravitova explained that part of her diplomatic tour of duty was to establish linkages between institutions of higher learning in Botswana and Ukraine in sectors such as renewable energy, medicine, information technology and agriculture.
On the other hand, Professor Norris briefed the ambassador on the new University of Botswana strategic direction. He said the goal was to, among others, become a catalyst for national transformation through cutting edge research and knowledge generation. However, Professor Norris observed that for the University of Botswana to embark on such an ambitious journey the imperative was to create linkages not only with other institutions of higher learning but industry in countries such as Ukraine.
He noted the huge potential such as the technological advancement in countries of the eastern bloc that the University of Botswana could tap into to come up with futuristic academic and research programmes. Another area of interest that the University of Botswana could benefit from in Ukraine is digitization, which could help transition Botswana from a resource to a knowledge-based economy.
Professor Norris further spoke about the importance of economic clusters in fostering economic prosperity. He therefore expressed the desire for the University of Botswana to learn from institutions of higher learning in Ukraine through collaboration, partnerships and industry linkages.