“Addressing issues of national significance”

When Bosi Modisanyane arrived at WMG from Botswana in 2007, he was determined to achieve more than an MSc in Manufacturing Systems Engineering. He saw it as a unique opportunity to apply his learning and research to improve the future of his home country.

Despite being one of Africa's most stable countries and the continent's longest continuous multi-party democracy, Botswana has suffered a number of difficulties over recent years. The AIDS epidemic had a catastrophic effect, reducing life expectancy from 64 in 1990 to 48 in 2008^* - though it now has one of Africa's most advanced treatment programmes.

In economic terms, Botswana has long been dependant on mining. As well as being the world's largest producer of diamonds, it benefits from significant reserves of copper, coal and other resources. But the Government recognises that the economy needs to diversify beyond this narrow base - particularly in the face of unstable commodity prices.

“Quite simply, there’s very little manufacturing,” explained Bosi. “Copper is mined and exported, but nothing is done with it in Botswana. Likewise with coal, nickel, and other products. But with the global downturn, mines are closing and whole communities are being destroyed.”

So as part of his one-year course, Bosi developed a thesis that addressed this issue, considering how mined minerals could be used to further benefit Botswana’s economy through increased manufacturing activity.

“I looked at what we could do to set up manufacturing companies,” Bosi continued. “It’s really about taking the country forward, reducing its heavy reliance on mining and creating a more sustainable economy into the future.”

Bosi was keen to explain how his course helped him to develop such a significant thesis. “It was very well-rounded and gave me a very broad spectrum of knowledge across manufacturing systems,” he said. “All of the modules were excellent, but Automation and Robotics stood out for me. To see what is possible with today’s advanced automation systems was a real eye-opener.”

The way that WMG interacts with manufacturers like Jaguar Land Rover and Tata also impressed him. “Yes, that was terrific. I had never seen anything like these partnerships before, and I gained tremendous amount from them personally. Other institutions could certainly learn a lot from WMG in this area.”

When it came to putting together his thesis, Bosi ensured that he made full use of WMG’s research facilities. “I spent hours and hours in the library!” he said. “But what surprised me was the amount of help that’s available. It wasn’t a case of going there for information and having to spend a lot of time searching it out myself. There were always people to help and assist in any way they could. It was super.”

After completing his MSc, Bosi returned to Botswana to rejoin the research company that he worked for before coming to the UK. His focus is now on manufacturing and how he can use the knowledge and skills he built at WMG to advance Botswana’s capabilities.

“It’s interesting how things are developing here,” he said in conclusion. “The Government is focusing on manufacturing now and working hard to attract investment. Botswana’s ambitions as a nation and what I learned at WMG dovetail together perfectly.”

^{*United Nations Development Programme - Human Development Report 2007/08.}