Rutgers president Robert Barchi, flanked by Botswana’s ambassador and representative to the United Nations, Collen Kelapile.

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Photography: 
Nick Romanenko

Rutgers and Botswana have signed an agreement to launch the Botswana-Rutgers Knowledge Collaborative to exchange knowledge through technology and develop programs to help Botswana transform from a natural resource-based economy into a knowledge-based one. The partnership will address health care, information technology, higher education and research, entrepreneurship and innovation, and civic leadership as the nation becomes a regional hub of southern Africa. “It is not a partnership between Rutgers and a single university or a consortium of universities, but a partnership with an entire nation,” said Rutgers president Robert Barchi, flanked by Botswana’s ambassador and representative to the United Nations, Collen Kelapile.