Engineering: issues, challenges and opportunities for development ...

ENGINEERING CAPACITY: EDUCATION, TRAINING AND MOBILITYage and a contribution towards the growth of a well-informednation (as per Botswana’s vision for the year 2016).The pilot project was then renamed Kitsong Centres (knowledgecentres) to associate it with the empowerment of societythrough knowledge. This pilot project was to act as a stimulusto information technology research at BOTEC while servingas the channel through which various stakeholders woulddisseminate information on science, engineering, technologicaland socio-economic issues. It endeavoured to empowercitizens, with timely information and knowledge resources,and thus aid Botswana’s socio- economic development. Forexample, BOTEC recognized the need to improve access toinformation and communication channels since that provisioncould greatly increase people’s decision-making in variedaspects, because they will be better informed or empowered,and that can also increase their participation in income generatingventures.© BOTEC Internal Technical Reports Solar Thermal Test Facility.Kitsong Centres have been established in three villages: Hukuntsi(Kgalagadi North district), Letlhakeng (Kweneng Westdistrict) and Gumare (North West district). The three villagessuffer relatively profound levels of poverty and have high proportionsof youth, women and children in their population.The Kitsong Centres project also involves training to helpusers operate computers on their own. The project has sofar attracted great interest in the communities with peoplewho are better informed. Subject to the project’s success, theBotswana Government intends to roll out the project in postoffice premises spread throughout the country so as to provideaccess to information to as many people as possible.Solar Thermal Testing FacilityThe BOTEC Solar Thermal Test Facility was established to providea world-class service in the testing of solar water heatingsystems in accordance with international standards, and toenable research on thermal technologies. The facility is onethe three solar thermal testing facilities established so far inAfrica, with the others in Egypt and South Africa. This facility isdesigned based on a model of the Florida Solar Energy Centrein the United States.Research conducted prior to the commencement of thisproject found that most of the solar water heating systemsimported and installed in Botswana were unreliable, unsafeand of poor quality. This prompted BOTEC to also design andbuild a solar thermal testing facility for domestic solar waterheating systems and other thermal products. In this way, Botswanawould be saved from installing poor quality technologiesas BOTEC will be able to improve the quality of solar waterheating systems installed in the country. The main beneficiariesof this project are: the Government of Botswana, includingall relevant ministries and departments and particularlythe Botswana Bureau of Standards; the solar industry; and thegeneral public.A systematic test programme for components of solar waterheating systems is being established. This will generally includedurability tests, performance tests, storage tests and full operationaltests. The project is receiving stakeholder buy-in, andboth the Botswana Government and the Botswana Bureau ofStandards will make it mandatory that all solar water heatersbe tested to standard before installation.ConclusionThe above projects information indicates the efforts by BotswanaTechnology Centre to contribute to national development.The projects are engineering-based and need high skillsto produce quality technological output. It is commendablethat BOTEC continues to train its researchers to improve theircapability in the R&D initiatives. However, the researcherscould gain greater knowledge by professional attachments andother forms of interactive learning. While BOTEC continues totrain researchers it should also strive to retain them; the ‘ braindrain’ still remains an organizational challenge. Projects suchas the ones mentioned above need continuity so that they canbe accomplished within scheduled periods.Similar to other African countries, Botswana also experiencesbouts of poverty, which are acknowledged by the Government.The fight against poverty and the improvement of living conditionscan be tackled through global partnership programmes.The Millennium Development Goals recommend global partnershipto address developmental issues. This suggests that BOTECshould adopt a strategy of international collaborative researchto join hands with other partners to acquire the knowledgeand skills necessary to advance research. Collaborative researchcould create a platform and magnet for sponsored research. This355