The 23rd of February marked the commencement of the long-awaited 4-day engineering forum. Teams of well-seasoned engineers, CEOs, and captains of the industry alongside, the Honorable Minister, Mr. Eric Molale, convened at Ditshupo Hall at the invitation of ERB and ACEB – who were the hosts for the entire week. The mandate was very clear; to reclaim creativity amidst global turbulence as a means for sustainable development.
The BIE team; council and committee members, could not be left behind! They participated in the occasion and added meaningful discourse to the deliberations on issues of national concern. Leading the pack was Engineer Lone Batshegi who took the stage and left the attendants enamored by his youthful grace and dedication to fulfilling his dreams. His presentation centered around the Day 1 theme – “Academia-Industry Collaboration for solution-focused work”. The young engineer reminisced on his university days; chronicling his journey and outlining the impact of academia-industry collaborations on the education and training of engineering students.
Engineer Yvonne took the baton and graced the podium with such calmness and delivered an insightful presentation on the role to be played by the government and funding agencies in fostering academia-industry collaborations. She spoke on the benefit of such support in ensuring the development of sustainable engineering solutions for pertinent issues within the country. Adding to the discussion, Engineer Resego spoke on how university-industry collaborations can help create a path toward innovative research and sustainable project development. The premise of her presentation was to present new mechanisms that can be used to provide a novel and holistic approach to such collaborations. Closing off on the topic, Engineer Mbayi joined a panel of engineering experts and professionals to elaborate more on academia-industry collaborations.
On day 4, the culmination of the engineering week, Engineer Resego wrapped up the day by moderating a panel discussion on the topic – ‘Risk and Governance of Engineering Projects’. It is inarguable – the BIE team was at its highest level of play.
