Botswana Innovation Hub staff provide housing

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Botswana Innovation Hub CEO, Mr Alan Boshwaen cuts the ribbon to the unit

Botswana Innovation Hub CEO cuts the ribbon to the unit

There is a consensus that like food, shelter is a basic human right. A right does not however always translate to ownership. It is to this end that as part of their CSR strategy, the Botswana Innovation Hub team travelled to Khudumelapye to launch a housing prototype that is touted as being a possible breakthrough in Botswana’s housing challenge.

Botswana Innovation Hub has entered into an agreement with Refugee Housing Unit (RHU) AB which is a subsidiary of the non-profiting “Stiftelsen housing for all” setup and co-managed with the Ikea Foundation. The company develops and brings to the market alternative housing units that significantly improve the lives of people displaced by natural disasters as well as those living below the poverty line.

Said the Botswana Innovation Hub CEO Mr Alan Boshwaen, “In line with the country’s poverty alleviation programmes, we saw an opportunity to partner with this Swedish organisation to set up the first unit as a prototype, right here in Botswana.”

The prototype in its current phase is going through testing with the full scale production anticipated in the near future. Through this agreement, Botswana Innovation Hub intends to bring more value and provide opportunities for people in need, through housing solutions, which will result in changing their situation as well as securing the safety of family members. Botswana Innovation Hub has been tasked through the Clean-Tech Centre programme to choose a site in Botswana to locate the first prototype sustainable housing unit.

“Khudumelapye was found to be a suitable location for this trial due to amongst other reasons, environmental, climatic and solar irradiance characteristics. This housing unit that our team members erected will be used for data acquisition as part of a six month research trial to inform further development and design for the final units with potential for a wider coverage. We look forward to favourable results and we are excited at the prospect of rolling out this project nationwide”, concluded Mr Boshwaen.

 

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