Sunday, February 7, 2010

Botswana-South Africa Science and Technology Bilateral Agreement Meeting

source: Republic of Botswana (6/2/10) TAUTONA TIMES no 1 of 2010
The Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity, Discipline and Delivery"


C5) 3/2/10: Botswana-South Africa Science and Technology Bilateral Agreement Meeting

The South Africa's Director General in the Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. Phil Mjwara and other senior officials will meet their Botswana counterparts from the 4th to the 5th of February 2010 from 14:00hrs at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and Technology headquarters.

The purpose of the visit is to discuss the bilateral agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries signed in August 2005 which resulted in a Joint Permanent Commission and consequently the formation of a Technical Committee in 2008 to implement the Agreement.

Some modest achievements registered under the Agreement include regional research alliance involving BOTEC and CSIR; the Trans-Karoo Basin Project implemented by the South African Council of Geo-Science and Department of Geological Surveys and attachment and training of MSc Students through the project. Other areas of collaboration included Human Capital Development; Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS); Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and the Promotion of Science and Technology Awareness.

Tomorrow's meeting will also discuss the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project that South Africa and Australia are bidding to host. SKA is a large radio telescope whose construction culminates into a huge international project that is intended to meet the future of radio astronomy.

The SKA project is an initiative that is acclaimed to hold a lot of hope for the development and growth of science and technology in the region, the continent and the world as a whole, and should South Africa win the bid to host SKA Radio Telescope this will attract best Scientists and Engineers to work in Africa as well as provide best opportunities for Scientists and Engineers in Africa to participate in cutting edge scientific developments.

For further information on the meeting please contact the Ministry's Public Relations office at: 3972255/3158477/3971360

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