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Building closer ties with Botswana

4 September 2008

Building closer ties with Botswana
Professor Stephanie Fahey from Monash University and Professor Frank Youngman from the University of Botswana.

Monash University and the University of Botswana have taken new steps to build on a long-standing relationship and foster closer ties and enhance research collaboration between our two institutions.

Professor Frank Youngman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Affairs and Dr M. Moahi, Dean, Faculty of Humanities, from the University of Botswana visited Monash on 14th and 15th August. The delegation was accompanied by Ms Heddie Goldberg, Honorary Consul for Botswana in Melbourne and Ms Mpho Mogobe, Deputy High Commissioner for Botswana in Australia.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International), Professor Stephanie Fahey, officially welcomed the delegation to Monash, emphasising the University’s strong commitment to a continuing and enhanced relationship with the University of Botswana; “This visit builds upon a significant history of collaboration between our respective institutions and is a very positive sign of the importance we place on the development of this relationship. More importantly, the collaborations which result from our partnership will benefit our institutions, as well as Botswana and Africa. Monash places high priority on its engagement with Africa and this is an exciting step forward both for Monash in Australia and for Monash South Africa.”

During this visit, the University of Botswana and Monash signed a Memorandum of Understanding for university-wide collaboration in education and research. Research collaborations will be focused upon areas of common interest to Australia and Botswana, particularly sustainability, accident research, global movements, health, water and energy. New nodes of established Monash research centres and institutes such as the Monash Sustainability Institute, based at Monash South Africa, will form the vehicle through which many of these collaborations are facilitated.  

Monash currently has 549 students from Botswana studying across its network of campuses and in a range of faculties, including engineering, medicine and IT and in undergraduate, postgraduate coursework and research degrees.

Both Professor Fahey and Professor Simon Adams, the Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) at Monash South Africa, have visited the University of Botswana this year.