Botswana drone services company Drones For Africa has signed a partnership agreement with the University of Botswana (UB), which has codified the two entities’ commitment to advancing technology, innovation and research in the drone space in Botswana.
Signed at the end of January, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to foster collaboration between academia and drone industry stakeholders to drive impactful research and technological advancements.
Drones for Africa Managing Director, Marang Mbaakanyi signed the MoU on behalf of her organisation. She said that Drones For Africa was founded on the belief that technology, when purposefully harnessed, had the power to revolutionise industries and transform communities by driving national progress. She added that collaboration with UB went beyond just a partnership.
“We are no longer just consumers of technology, we are becoming creators of technology,” Mbaakanyi said.
“Our young minds will not merely observe the future, they will build it, engineer it, and soar beyond it.”
The partnership would serve as a vital link between knowledge and application, aspiration and achievement as well as education and enterprise, she added.
Mbaakanyi noted that through the MoU, drone technology would be further integrated into critical sectors, ensuring that Botswana not only kept pace with global technological revolution but also fostered local talent by advancing research capabilities and creating opportunities for the youth.
The collaboration would also fuel research and development to spark technological innovation and establish comprehensive training programmes, she said.
For the UB, Vice Chancellor Professor David Norris emphasised the significance of the partnership in promoting diversification through industry-academia collaboration.
“This agreement represents more than words on paper, it is a commitment to driving innovation, fostering local talent, and creating new opportunities for our youth” he said.
“Together, we will ensure that Botswana not only keeps pace with the global technological revolution but leads it.”
He added that such initiatives were essential in transitioning Botswana from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one, leveraging research and innovation to drive sustainable development.
Dean Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), Professor Edward Dintwa, said “the intention of this collaboration is to establish a Drone Research Centre which will introduce drone training programmes and certification while diversifying drone technology and applying research and development into various sectors of industry.”
Professor Dintwa expressed gratitude that the partnership came at a pivotal time when drone technology was being increasingly utilised across various industries and was a key research area.
He noted its wide-ranging applications in engineering and the built environment, land surveying, agriculture, healthcare and medicine, environmental monitoring and wildlife conservation as well as disaster relief.