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8 Forum

between academic programmes
offered by education institutions and
actual skills needed by the industry;
and engineers who continue to
practice without having registered
with the Engineers Registration Board.”
The Minister gave viable solutions
that may remedy these anomalies. A
number of interventions have been or
are to be implemented. “My Ministry
is working to set up a Construction
Industry Authority to better expound
regulation of the industry. Following
approval to draft a bill to amend the
Engineers Registration Act by Cabinet
in November 2021, consultations
with stakeholders have since been
concluded and the ministry is in the
process of submitting draft instructions
to Attorney Generals Chambers.”

Rra Molale cited the 500 staff houses
Students from New Era College attended the Forum which were demolished as they were
rendered unsafe in Gaborone Block
5 some years ago. He thus implored
Reset Agenda as well as the National working to improve the start-up Engineers to always produce good
Vision 2036 aspirations. ” he said. He financing ecosystem in the country.” quality products to avoid wastage.
went on to encourage the engineers in
Botswana to be creative and innovative Requisite infrastructure is already in Honourable Molale further observed
as they apply themselves to work in place to facilitate innovative solutions that many local companies have
the entire engineering value chain. He and these include institutions of closed down due to inefficiencies
noted they were CIPA and international higher learning, technical colleges, and competition from foreign
registered engineering patents, but the Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH), companies. He dared the engineers
he thinks there must be more. The Companies and Intellectual Property to combat corruption as it starts
more they come up with solutions, Authority (CIPA) and the Botswana 9
the better communities will be. Bureau of Standards (BOBS).

“Ladies and Gentlemen, engineers are “ Betsho, this Forum
innovators and therefore are expected takes place against the
to take the lead in a multi-stakeholder backdrop of an industry
effort to generate solutions to the faced by a plethora of
challenges. These challenges include challenges. Among these
high rates of unemployment; huge are: abandoned projects,
income gaps; poor service delivery; delivery of substandard
environmental impact of climate change engineering work, increase
which stifles food production efforts and in engineering related
drives up the cost of living; corruption; litigation, bulging project
crime; non-communicable diseases and cost overruns on public
recently the Covid-19 pandemic. The works. There is also a
glaring challenge is lack of capital to disconnect between
take these prototypes to production. industry and academia,
Government and stakeholders are leading to skills mismatch Token of appreciation from the Host

Issue 29 - Apr /May 2022 www.engineerbw.com