The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

Gaborone –  The University of Botswana in partnership with the Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation and with the support of the GIZ Strengthening National-Regional Linkages (SNRL) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) programme, a partnership programme between SADC, the German Government and European Union, hosted the inaugural Sir Ketumile Masire Lecture Series on Tuesday 14th September via an online webinar. 

This was the first of several other lectures which are aimed at creating a platform to discuss the acceleration of regional integration within the region.

The Sir Ketumile Masire Lecture Series serves as a forum for scholars, academics, practitioners, and students to engage in epistemic debates on national, regional, continental, and global issues. It will also open the doors for regional, continental, and global collaborations with high-ranking leaders, scholars, academics, practitioners, and institutions.

The public lecture is part of efforts to galvanize public-private dialogue and prompt the development of a Public-Private Sector Engagement Strategy. Public dialogue forums of this nature aim to increase the visibility and salience of the work that is being done to accelerate regional integration. Former President of Botswana, His Excellency Festus Mogae, graced the event.

“The implementation of this public lecture is of great importance and is testament to President Masire’s tireless work and contribution across Africa, as we saw even during his retirement days, chairing the Panel of Eminent Persons that investigated the 1994 Rwandan genocide; also as Facilitator of the inter-Congolese Dialogue; as well as the SADC mediator for Lesotho and Mozambique.

“Today’s dialogue on Regional Integration would perhaps not be as advanced had it not been for his hard work”, Mogae said.

Key findings from a scoping study commissioned for Botswana, included amongst others, the very low visibility of SADC and lack of cooperation with Academia and Non-State Actors. 

Academia is a key stakeholder that plays a pivotal role in the research required to reach the required level of regional integration.

“The Sir Ketumile Masire Lecture Series is a public dialogue forum that is birthed and spearheaded by academia, in its bid to contribute towards the conversation of enhancing the utility of regional integrative processes to the inhabitants of the Southern African region.

“The envisaged series of lectures will seek to facilitate robust debate and dialogue, driven by academics, scholars, students, and practitioners, as a means of generating and exchanging valuable knowledge, which will serve as the substance of the flagship SKMLS Policy Briefs.

“The latter will form part of a body of evidence that can be on-boarded by decision-makers as they fashion the legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks, that will shape the developmental agenda of the nation, the region and the continent”, added the University of Botswana Vice-Chancellor, Prof. David Norris

Findings showed that research lacks the proper platform for the exchange and dissemination of data with the government and other key stakeholders.

“Academia is recognized in the SADC Treaty as viable information engines that create platforms for engagement, debate, and discussions that take the regional integration discourse forward.

“The Sir Ketumile Masire Lecture Series will pave the way on enhancing knowledge, awareness building and contributing towards much-needed dialogue that shapes and informs policy making at national and regional levels”, concluded Mrs. Hellwig-Bötte, German Ambassador to Botswana.