News Date : 21 April, 2026
BUAN Strengthens Community Partnerships Through Francistown Stakeholder Engagement Forum
The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) recently convened a highly engaging Stakeholder Engagement Forum in Francistown, which brought together a broad spectrum of participants drawn from the education sector, farming communities, youth groups, students, and non-governmental organizations. The forum formed part of the University’s ongoing commitment to fostering inclusive dialogue and strengthening partnerships that advance sustainable development at community level.
The engagement provided a structured and participatory platform for stakeholders to share perspectives, present institutional mandates, and exchange ideas on pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges affecting the Francistown region. Key discussions centred on agricultural productivity, youth empowerment, skills development, and sustainable livelihoods, with participants collaboratively identifying both challenges and potential intervention areas that could benefit from joint action and institutional support.
Delivering the keynote address, the Vice Chancellor of BUAN, Professor Ketlhatlogile Mosepele, reiterated the University’s strategic mandate of advancing agricultural transformation and the sustainable management of natural resources in Botswana. He emphasized BUAN’s critical role in responding to national development priorities, particularly in addressing food and nutrition security, reducing youth unemployment, and promoting innovation-led solutions that can drive inclusive economic growth.
Professor Mosepele further highlighted that BUAN is intentionally positioning itself as a catalyst for knowledge generation, applied research, and technology transfer, ensuring that academic outputs translate into practical, community-relevant solutions. He noted that such stakeholder engagements are essential in aligning the University’s teaching, research, and outreach functions with real-world needs.
The forum also reinforced BUAN’s strategic focus areas, including strengthening collaboration with communities and industry stakeholders, expanding opportunities for youth empowerment through targeted skills development and entrepreneurship programmes, and accelerating innovation through research, digital technologies, and sustainability-oriented initiatives.
In addition, the engagement reflected BUAN’s broader institutional vision of expanding its presence across Botswana through satellite campuses and community-based outreach programmes. This strategic direction is aimed at enhancing access to higher education and ensuring that BUAN’s services and impact are equitably distributed across different regions of the country.
As BUAN continues to evolve into a responsive and development-oriented institution, stakeholder engagements such as this remain central to its mandate. They ensure that the University remains firmly connected to the communities it serves, while continuously refining its programmes to remain relevant, impactful, and aligned with national development aspirations.