The Board of the Botswana Innovation Hub has appointed Mr. Alan Boshwaen as the first Chief Executive Officer for the Company. Mr Boshwaen assumed duty on the 1st of June 2011. He has been tasked with the development of the BIH strategy and its implementation focusing on the Science and Technology Park Infrastructure and Innovation Development Programmes.

 These will reflect on national policies such as the revised Science, Technology & Innovation and the National ICT Policy “Maitlamo”. Upon assumption of duty Mr. Boshwaen immediately engaged the authorities with regard to bringing the Company to full operation through finalization of the Companies key governance structures and the development of a functional organization to implement the BIH agenda. Prior to joining BIH, Mr. Boshwaen was CEO of the Botswana International Financial Services Centre. 

The Botswana Innovation Hub and Microsoft are entering into a strategic collaboration to establish a Microsoft Innovation Centre in Botswana. The Microsoft innovation centre is a state of the art technology facility for collaboration on innovative research ,technology or software solutions, involving a combination of government ,academic and industry participants .MIC Botswana’s main pillars will be IT skills training and job creation ,IT industry engagement targeting software start ups ,independent software vendors and system integrators. The MIC will be launched on 1st December ,2011 and will be initially housed at Maranyane House-Botswana Technology Centre.

Please visit http://www.microsoft.com/mic/default.aspx for further information.
 

The Botswana Innovation Hub has appointed Mr Ambrose Makgonatsotlhe as the Southern Africa Innovation Support Programme (SAIS) Country Coordinator. The SAIS is a regional Innovation Systems Support programme funded by the Finnish Government and is being implemented in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique.

Mr Makgonatsotlhe will work closely within the regional innovation systems to identify best practices that cane be used in Botswana while also sharing best practices on Botswana Innovation systems. He will be responsible for the national outreach component of the BIH through his engagement under SAIS.  Prior to joining BIH Mr Makgonatsotlhe worked for Local Enterprise Authority.
 

The Botswana Innovation Hub will be moving offices from Moedi House, Plot 50380, Fairgrounds, Gaborone. We shall be moving only a stone’s throw away to the Botswana Technology Centre (BOTEC), “Maranyane” House Complex, Plot 50564 on Samora Machel Drive. 

In fulfilment of its objectives to provide innovative solutions for the energy and environment sector, The Botswana Innovation Hub has partnered with Lund University and Krinova Science Park in Sweden with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) to establish a Clean Technologies initiative dubbed “Clean-Tech Centre of Expertise” in the Botswana Innovation Hub.

The objective is to establish the foundation for a Clean Tech Centre of Expertise within the Botswana Innovation Hub by developing the programme and involving relevant local and international stakeholders in the programme development as well as in the implementation. This will involve conducting a situational analysis, identify and recommending the focus of the Clean Tech   programme and its implementation strategy in the Botswana Innovation Hub.
 

The programme will be developed in close partnership and cooperation with public and private sector, including Swedish Clean Tech actors and relevant local stakeholders.

Quick focus on the status of the Development of the BIH Park 
• A total of 57 hectares for the development of the Science and Technology Park on Plot 69184, Gaborone, strategically located near the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport and the DTC (Botswana) facility.
• Fully serviced, secure power, State of the art ICT Infrastructure, Park-like “garden” concept design.
• Total of 40 plots of variable sizes demarcated and   available for lease or co-development early 2012.
• First phase of the approximately 30 000 m2 rental space development to be available for rent by end of 2013.
• A unique “Biotech House” comprising specialised laboratory facilities being developed
 

The Ministry of Health has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Botswana Innovation Hub for the establishment of the HIV/AIDS Centre of Expertise within the BIH.  Although the focus of the centre shall be the HIV - AIDS research currently being conducted by a number of international research institutes in partnership with Ministry of Health, it will serve to create the critical mass for clinical research as well as other biotechnology applications of priority in Botswana.

The Botswana Innovation Hub and Microsoft Corporation of the USA are finalising a strategic partnership that will see the setting up of a Microsoft Innovation Centre (MIC) in the Botswana Innovation Hub by the end of 2011. The Centre shall be established with BIH Company at “Maranyane House”, the BOTEC building in the Fairgrounds. The Microsoft Innovation Centre will target business start-ups, ICT practitioners, industry organisations and government to foster innovative research technology and software solutions relevant to Botswana. The MIC will thereby foster and spur innovation, job creation and deeper skills development among the target groups using enabling technology transfer from Microsoft Corporation. It is envisaged that the MIC and other collaboration ventures will migrate into the BIH Park when BIH facilities are ready for occupation in 2013.

Leading pan-African financier, Rand Merchant Bank, has ranked Botswana the sixth best investment destination out of 45 sub-Saharan states, noting the country’s “very good operating environment”.

The “Where To Invest In Africa” report represents the research expertise of Rand Merchant Bank’s (RMB) continental experts who compared the investment competitiveness of the 45 sub-Saharan states.

The report - the first of its kind by RMB - bases its conclusions primarily around market size, market growth and operating environment.

Botswana emerged behind South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Tanzania in order of ranking in the report.

However, the economy was ranked ahead of peers such as Kenya, Zambia, Mauritius and Namibia.

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Results of the Third Call for Proposals are now out!

The Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP) is a programme which promotes renewable energy (RE), energy efficiency (EE), and clean technology investments. The EEP Programme in Southern and East Africa is jointly funded by the Governments of Finland and Austria and its implementation started in March 2010.

Please click here to access the list of approved projects.

Botswana Innovation Hub in International News

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Update: Botswana Innovation Hub / SHoP