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Speaking during the Huawei Botswana 10th anniversary and seeds for future press briefing in Gaborone, the deputy permanent secretary for basic education in the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, Simon Coles said the country produces a number of ICT graduates on an annual basis.

He noted that many of the ICT graduates struggle to meet the needs of the industry to which they had been trained.

Coles said graduates who would manage to enrol in the programme would be inspired to realise the full potential they could offer the country going forward.

He said the ministry was keen in supporting initiatives that assist the development of the country, especially upgrading human resources to participate in the global economy and the economic development of the country.

For his part, Huawei Botswana deputy director, Ramasala Ntwaetsile said participants would have the chance to study latest ICT technology, and also learn the Huawei corporate culture and management experience.

Ntwaetsile noted that for 10 years, Huawei has made a significant contribution towards ICT development in Botswana through partnerships with the government and various stakeholders. He also noted that communities were experiencing better connectivity to the world, reduced digital communication cost as well as skill transfer to bridge the technology skill gap.

An official from the Chinese Embassy, Li Nan said the programme would further strengthen diplomatic relations between Botswana and China. He added that the programme was also aimed at boasting China and Botswana relations in education exchange.

Li noted that Huawei was an international hi-tech company that has contributed towards the development of the ICT industry in Botswana.