IPADA Affords SADC Universities a Golden Opportunity in Exchanging Knowledge

The International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternative (IPADA) conference affords SADC Universities a golden opportunity to share beliefs, aides and recommendation with international community, said Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Kgomotso Moahi.

Speaking during the 2^nd Annual International Conference, Gala Dinner on July 27, 2017 held at Tloto Hotel and Conference Centre in Gaborone from the 26 to 28 July 2017, Professor Moahi said as Universities they are expected to create a stimulating intellectual environment for students and demonstrate the impact of their research work on the lives of citizens. She further edged the participants to conduct their research works truthfully and expand the frontier of knowledge objectively and ethically without fear or favour and share their research finding with all members of the society.

The conference was organised by School of Economics and Management at the University of Limpopo (SA) in corporation with UB Faculty of Social Sciences, held under the theme ‘’Independence of African State in the Age of Globalization’’ which was broken down into numerous sub themes of research works of participating Universities from South Africa on issues pertaining to African States. The conference attracted Lecturers and Master Students from different Universities of South Africa such Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Venda (UNIVEN), North West University (NWU), Vaal University of Technology (VUT) University of Mpumalanga (UMP) and University of Limpopo. The sole purpose is to create international collaboration in with Universities across the Africa in generating, disseminating and exchanging knowledge and to produce quality scholarly work through peer review process.

Giving a key note address Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Honourable Eric Mothibi Molale stated that bringing African think tanks, academic and industry profession together in a conference of this nature will help to reflect deeply on the issues facing African States in an international order. He also said participants will benefit by learning from one another and do a cross pollination of ideas from the world of work (practice) and the world of academics (theory) with a view of narrowing the gap between the two. ‘’Let theory inform and guide practice and vice versa’’ said Honourable Molale  

IPADA and Conference Chairman, Professor Mokoko Sebola said UB and other African Universities are viewed as the first step towards making Africa contribute to global knowledge production. He also said statistically it is argued that Africa contribute a very small fraction of knowledge production in the globe with figure agued to be either 1,25% or 1,8% in which South Africa and Egypt share the biggest fraction of knowledge production because of their huge investment in research and innovation.

University of Botswana Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Professor Keoagile Thaga closed The Gala Dinner by appreciating participants and guest in attending the conference and for making a meaningful contribution to the complex issues they are trying to unpack.

Honorable David Magang Appeals Government and Private Sector to Promote History

 

Honorable David Magang appeal to the government and stalwarts of indigenous Botswana enterprise to join the bandwagon and help bring about an explosion of historical chronicling in the country from across the board through avail funds for Researchers.

 

He also said such a seismic shift in their view of history would certainly make our beloved founding President Sir Seretse Khama smile in his grave in that the ensuing cornucopia of historical literature would reverse the stigma so that they we’re no longer “a people without a past and a people without a soul but a people with an amply illustrated past and a people with a soul or substance” said Mr Magang during a public lecture held under the theme “A Nation without a Past is a lost Nation-Sir Seretse Khama’s Vision of Botswana’s Development” held at University of Botswana Conference Center on August 17, 2017.

 

“Contrast with South Africa, where the private sector is typically the prime mover in initiating literary projects from which they do not even directly benefit most book projects of a biographical nature in South Africa are bankrolled by the private sector long before they arrive on the desk of the publisher” said Mr Magang. He further said their own, home-grown  pillars of the private sector should emulate their counterpart across the Limpopo, who even when based here in Botswana and making money from Batswana continue to support book propositions in their home country whilst giving  theirs a cold shoulder.

 

Mr Magang also advised University of Botswana authorities, to name their buildings and other constituent facilities officially known by numbers instead of being named after national heroes who contributed either directly or indirectly to the independent of Botswana such as David Livistone, Charles Willoughb, Anthony Silly and Peter Focus. He also commended the recent re-naming of the hospital at the UB after the recently departed Sir Ketumile Masire which he regard as a signal on the part of the university authorities intent on making amends in this regard.

Throughout history, there have been both great feats of success and horrific failures and studying history will helps avoid the pitfalls of yo   re and build on our accomplishments, said Mr Magang.

 

The lecture, was hosted by UB, through the Department of History, draw on Botswana’s founding President, Sir Seretse Khama’s appeal for Africans to break-away from the shackles of mental oppression, and become masters of their own destiny by writing their own history. It also interrogate the famous speech, and how it was subsequently misread or misunderstood, in order to be able to explain Sir Seretse Khama’s vision of Botswana’s development with the country’s history as a cardinal aspect of nation-building.