Gaborone — Minister of Higher Education, Mr Prince Maele, undertook an official familiarisation tour of the innovation and creativity hub at the University of Botswana, UniPod Botswana on Monday.
As the first flagship initiative of its kind in the country, UniPod Botswana is a pioneering innovation hub designed to transform ideas into impactful solutions. The initiative aims to empower youth, accelerate research commercialisation, and foster collaboration between academia, industry and government.
Through world-class facilities and mentorship, UniPod drives entrepreneurship, technology transfer and sustainable innovation to tackle real-world challenges and advance Botswana's knowledge economy.
Leading Mr Maele and an invited delegation on a tour of the facility, University of Botswana lecturer and UniPod director, Professor Richie Moalosi, explained that the hub's mandate was to incubate viable business ideas from students, staff and members of the public.
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He said the pod's focus areas included AgriTech, GreenTech, technology solutions, creative industries (photography, videography, music and fashion design), manufacturing, as well as Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
Prof Moalosi also led the delegation through UniPod's ten specialised laboratories, including a music studio headed by award-winning contemporary gospel singer and producer Tshepo Lesole, alongside a photography studio, wood lab, computer design lab, textile lab and a pitch room, among other innovation spaces.
He further shared that through UniPod, the institution had registered two intellectual property rights (utility models), while five IP applications were currently under consideration at the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority.
"In addition, two patents are at the drafting stage, while six start-ups have reached commercial acceleration (TRL 6-9), with one already operating in Lesotho and exporting to other countries," he said.
Prof Moalosi emphasised that UniPod was a catalyst for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
In appreciation of the tour, Mr Maele said UniPod represented a potential solution to the long-standing challenge of unemployment in Botswana.
He commended the inclusivity of the innovation centre, highlighting its creative laboratories and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) facilities, which he noted were powerful drivers of entrepreneurship. BOPA
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