The recently appointed German Ambassador to Botswana, Her Excellency, Mrs. Margit Hellwig-Bötte paid a visit to Botho University (BU), Gaborone Campus on the 13th January 2021. During her visit, she met BU students studying German and interacted with Robert Atangana who lectures German. The ambassador expressed interest in learning about the career prospects of the German learners as well as their interest in the language. She shared with the learners’ scholarship opportunities available to them at German universities such as scholarships.

For further information on such opportunities, the ambassador referred them to German Embassy in Gaborone or the DAAD information Centers in South Africa (daad.org.za) or the website www.study – in – germany.de.

The students had the opportunity to showcase their German prowess to the ambassador.  The embassy has also offered recent copies of “Ziet Germany” magazine to the students. The Ambassador was then taken on a tour of the Botho University campus facilities and concluded her visit with a high level meeting with the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Sheela Raja Ram and other senior management team of BU, where they discussed areas of expanding collaboration and support from the German Embassy.

Areas that were covered in the discussions included; Partnerships with German Universities, German Scholarships for BU staff and students and Internships and Projects, among others. BU already has a partnership with Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW) where both teams are working on developing an integrated sustainable Eco tourism module and where staff and students from both universities would engage in collaborative exchange projects. One MBA student from BU has been selected to receive funding for postgraduate research visit. The fund covers all expenses, the funding is covered under research and hence the visit is to enhance the research work the student is doing as part of the programme.