Phatsima: The Disruptor!

Founder and President of Dare to Dream Foundation, Captain Kgomotso Phatsima has taken a leading role in promoting innovation in Botswana, having been selected to lead Muzinda Hub in Botswana to coordinate the Digital Skills & Entrepreneurship programme.

Botswana  got its version of the Muzinda Hub during the launch of Digital Skills and Entrepreneurship programme facilitated through a joint partnership between Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH) and Dare to Dream Foundation.

A total of 500 youth, 60% of them being females, will enroll under the programme to pursue training under the Muzinda Hub Botswana.

Muzinda Hub Botswana housed under BIH Innovation Park is an initiative aimed at equipping young Batswana with 21st century globally competitive skills through fully-funded scholarships.

The platform will give an opportunity to the 500 enrolled participants to get training on areas of coding, entrepreneurship and project designing and they are expected to complete training this December.

Phatsima said Botswana needs to be at level with the rest the world migrating into knowledge-based economy driven by innovative solutions courtesy of robust STEM integration.

She emphasized the importance of investing vigorously in Science, Mathematics and Engineering (STEM) portfolios nowadays.

Her Dare to Dream Foundation, the architect of the Muzinda Hub, partnered with the Special Economic Zones Authority (SEZA) to attend the Global Aviation Investment Summit in Dubai.

At the summit, they met the team from a multinational European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus which later on came to Botswana to seal partnership with Dare to Dream.

She said the partnership deal entailed training of more than 1 500 students countrywide in rural and urban areas more on Coding that she considers to be crucial skills in a digitalised economy.

Women in STEM aviation

Phatsiama said 60 percent of 500 enrolled participants in Muzinda Hub training is accorded to females; indicating that the choice is meant at empower women in the STEM industry too.

She said women also boost of high potential to be world changers in taking central role in STEM aviation, citing herself as the epitome of that success.

“Women are supposed to take the leading role in the future upcoming jobs in the innovation and digital entrepreneurship. I am confident that the young women enrolled in this programme will excel to the best. I entered into aviation and I excelled as woman and I am aiming for greater heights with young women as well,” she added.

Phatsima said there is a just need to position young people in the direction of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) by exposing them to opportunities that characterises nurturing their innovative ideas.

Masisi optimistic

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi when launching the programme said it comes as a result of a promise made by founder and chairman of Econet Group Dr Strive Masiyiwa during a Town Hall meeting in Gaborone in April this year.

He said the London-based Zimbabwean businessman pledged to train 500 young Batswana in Digital Skills, focusing on key areas of coding, entrepreneurship and project designing.

“We already have existing similar programmes that support digitalisation such as Maitlamo ICT policy. Moreover I would like to applaud BOFINET for providing efficient internet connectivity as we move to setting an ecosystem that is second to none globally,” said President Masisi.

President Masisi also showered Captain Phatsima with praises for taking a leading role in empowering young people in the STEM-related careers such as the aviation and innovation.