Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) has created a research arm on climate change and adaptation to address local and regional problems related to climate change. The research arm has collaborated with OR Tambo and Adelaide Foundation, International Development Research Centre of Canada (ORTARChI) to run projects in the region that address climate change. These projects are managed through the National Research Foundation of South Africa. At the Vulnerability and Risk

Assessment workshop, BIUST Director, Research, Development and Innovation, Prof. Ochieng Aoyi noted that the ORTARChI project was made with an all-inclusive approach in mind. Relevant communities are involved in problem identification and pursuit for innovative solutions. BIUST selected Chobe as one of the regions in which to conduct studies on the effect of climate change on agriculture, wild-life, water and the environment in general. ORTARChI Chair-Prof. Gizaw Mengistu Tsidu explained that the project has two main goals, first being research on climate change and development of climate change mitigation and adaptation technological options and secondly to harness skilled manpower development to tackle the effect of climate change. Prof. Tsidu said that the project involves over 20 scientists from Botswana from BIUST, UB and BUAN, Germany, Italy, Ghana and Ethiopia. The project is expected to train 10 PhDs and 18 MSc, 90 percent of which are from Botswana and about 10 per cent from collaborating countries Ghana and Ethiopia. The VRA workshop was created as a platform to get answers from stakeholders on the effects of climate change on a daily basis. Chobe District

Council Chairperson Chimney Mululwani said that the world is faced with a climate crisis and “we ought to fight it.” He cited VRA workshop as one way of enhancing the Kgotla consultative system since it makes development planning a lot more participatory, representative and inclusive. This is because the people have an opportunity not only to air grievances and complaints, but also to contribute ideas towards alleviating the problems they face, whilst the government benefits by getting a development plan, or part thereof, that already has significant buy-in from the relevant stakeholders.