The founding Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH) Mr. Alan Phemelo Boshwaen will be leaving the organization on the 31st May 2021. He would have led the organization for two (2) terms of five years each having joined BIH on the 1st June 2011.

As the organisation’s founding CEO, Mr Boshwaen was responsible for establishing and operationalising the new entity, and setting up the first Science and Technology Park (STP) in Botswana. These tasks were carried out with much zeal and selflessness. Today, BIH is recognized as a leader in advancing & enhancing innovation drivers including promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related programmes and activities, supporting technology entrepreneurship, providing innovation funding and management as well as Intellectual Property registration. A big part of the STP is the BIH Headquarters, commonly referred to as the icon building whose construction started under the stewardship of Mr Boshwaen. The main objective of the icon building is to house tech companies and thus providing infrastructure & amenities designed to enable interaction and collaboration of innovators, tech-entrepreneurs, academic and research institutions, private and public sector to solve national challenges and facilitate for a knowledge-based economy to prosper the country. Mr Boshwaen leaves when the building is at its final completion stages, scheduled for completion in August 2021, and already serving its intended purpose as a home to several local and multinational tech companies. Several local and multinational companies have also set up and established within the STP and these companies include amongst others Orange, Okavango Diamond Company and Bofinet Data Centre.

During his tenure, Mr Boshwaen further successfully managed to forge a number of partnerships with both local and international technology giants including; Microsoft Corp towards the establishment of the Microsoft Innovation Centre and subsequently a laboratory to support local talent in software development. Southern African Innovation Support Programme (SAIS) towards Innovation Capacity building, technology entrepreneurship and Innovation Funding, Southern Africa Network on Biosciences in stimulating bio-preneurs especially females through the Females in Biosciences businesses (FEMBIOBIZ). Strategic partnerships with BIUST, BITRI among others have facilitated closer working relations and enabled funding of projects from academic and research institutions. BIH has further hosted key international innovation events including the Innovation Prize for Africa in 2016 and the International Association of Science (IASP) Africa division Conference held in 2014. These partnerships collectively played a big role in moving forward the national innovation agenda and national innovation capacity building over the years.

Mr Boshwaen has further done ground work for the on-going transformation of BIH into Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub (BDIH), wherein the organisation will have a bigger mandate including leading the national digital transformation agenda.

Mr Boshwaen has extensive experience in the Financial Services and Banking sectors having been CEO of the Botswana International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and held senior management positions with Standard Chartered Bank Botswana and Barclays Bank of Botswana. He has also previously worked for Debswana (De Beers Botswana) Diamond Mining Company.

Mr Boshwaen holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honors in Industrial Psychology and Business Administration from the University of Kent at Canterbury and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Cape Town. He currently serves on the Letshego Financial Services Botswana Board. Between 2016 and 2019 he represented the region as President of the Africa division in the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP). He has held Board membership positions in leading companies in the telecommunications and financial sectors. Between 2016 and 2019 he represented the region as President of the Africa division in the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP).

The Board, Management and Staff of BIH, thank Mr Alan Boshwaen profusely for the critical role that he played in building BIH to be what it is and wish him the very best in all his future endeavours.
Farewell APB!!