YALE UNIVERSITY’s PARTNERSHIP WITH BOTSWANA: THE WHAT, WHY & WHY NOW FOR STARTUPS
Partnerships globally are super important; Yale University and Government of Botswana recently dotted down an official partnership.
My immediate entrepreneurial zeal on the collaboration was to ask what is the partnership framework based on? Why Yale University? Why now?
With the pleasure of Yale University Broadcasting Studio i was able to pick some of the nuggets from the lecture as point of interest for the entrepreneurual ecosystem and startup ecosystem in Africa.
First things first (WHAT); lets talk about Yale University.
- For more than 300 years, Yale University has inspired the minds that inspire the world.
- Eddie Mandhry-Director for Africa & the Middle East, Yale University is quoted on LinkedIn saying that ‘Great to welcome H.E. President Mokgweetsi Masisi of the Republic Botswana 🇧🇼 back to campus to deliver the Yale University African Leaders Forum Lecture: “Transitioning Botswana to a Knowledge-based Economy”; and to cement a bi-derectional partnership centered around cutting-edge research and training in natural resource management between the Government of Botswana and Yale School of the Environment.
At a high level (WHY), the for us from the entrepreneur/startup world- when one chooses a partner it should paint a clear picture of your long-term vision for your company. It should describe your current tech product alignment and progress towards your internal goals, as well as provide detail around the reasons that you’re raising additional partnerships.
WHY NOW? Listen to the questions of the entrepreneurs in the room at Yale University on this public lecture to position yourselve and your startup for the opportunity at hand!
- Entrepreneurship empowerment for Batswana?
- education and opportunity
- Reservations for local citizens
- Nascent entrepreneurial industry is protected
2. COP26 and Climate Change- How is Botswana thinking of this positioning?
- Paris Accord signatory and determination towards climate change management
- Sun/Solar Opportunity and Go-Green Opportunity
- 200Billion tonnes of coal discovery — exploration, etc
- R &D Capacitation by Yale University
3. Women Empowerment?
- A view of gender- equality for founders?
4. Cooperation in respect to Africa for Knowledge Economy (4.0)- Is it AFCTA in respect to digital cooperation or exchanges ? What is Botswana’s digital partnerships in Africa?
- Intellectual capacity exchanges
- Solutions and new systems for exchange i.e payment gateways etc
5. Energy and Energy access with regards to rural communities?
- e-health, e-education etc
- openness to partnerships that are creative and innovative
What stands out from the partnerships (ENTREPRENEUR NUGGETS)?
- The Botswana startup ecosystem should consider further engagements with Eddie Mandhry Director for Africa & the Middle East, Yale University International strategic advisor leading Yale University President, Peter Salovey’s Africa Initiative, and advancing Yale’s bi-directional partnerships across Africa and the Middle East. Kenyan-born, and undisputedly the nation’s slowest runner. Passionately serving at the intersection of people, ideas and institutions pursuing innovative solutions to urgent global challenges through pioneering collaborative research and training spanning the sciences, arts, and humanities.
- Yale University community of startups and Botswana entrepreneurs should engage on the design of collaborative exchanges around startups.
- Networks created by the Yale University and Botswana can imply an insider/outsider dynamic for opportunity identification and co-creation. It is the opposite of meritocracy. Collaboration is important, but the challenge of the modern economy is to create systems of collaboration that don’t arbitrarily exclude talent from the local ecosystem.
- Network building and mentorship are both the biggest contributors to unlocking new startups that could benefit from venture capital in the modern economy. Startups in the climate &environment sector should pivot the Yale University collaboration broadly.
- This is an incredibly moving speech and lecture by H.E President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi. I do recommend listening to the full 55 minutes if you are building a tech-driven business in Botswana or have an interest as an investor/ startup on to the emerging sectors to invest in Botswana. https://world.yale.edu/news/yale_botswana_partnership
Keep building! Pula!
