The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester visit Botswana

Tuesday, 6th October

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester met His Excellency President Advocate Duma Boko at the Office of the President. Their Royal Highnesses also met representatives from the Government of Botswana including and Dr Phenyo Butale, Minister for International Relations as part of their official welcome to the country.

Then, Their Royal Highnesses visited the Gaborone War Memorial, which commemorates soldiers from Botswana, as well as a small number from South Africa, who died during the First and Second World Wars and whose graves could not be maintained or are unknown.

The Last Post played and a minute of silence was observed. The Duke and Duchess laid a wreath at the memorial. 

Following, The Duke and Duchess were given a tour of the National Museum of Botswana, which houses the nation’s art collection and botanical gardens, and watch a traditional dance performance. Their Royal Highnesses viewed the exhibition ‘Botswana at 60: A Journey Through The Lens’ which celebrates the country’s 60th year of independence.

Their Royal Highnesses also visited Philip Moshotel Primary School where Youth Impact, a Botswana-founded education project, is helping to improve learning outcomes for children and young people. The organisation has grown from a single pilot school to help almost 400,000 pupils across more than 760 schools.  

The Duke and Duchess were introduced to the School Head, Ms Betty Nkwe and the Co-Founder of Youth Impact, Noam Angrist. The Duke and Duchess heard more about ‘Teaching at the Right Level’, an innovative teaching method pioneered by Oxford University researchers. The approach assesses pupils and groups them by their actual learning level rather than by age or grade, so that they receive interactive, level-appropriate literacy and numeracy teaching, moving between groups as they master new skills. Their Royal Highnesses observed a class taking place before departing. 

At Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Their Royal Highnesses found out more about Botswana’s pioneering conservation work, at Mokolodi and across the country. The Reserve is a not-for-profit conservation and environmental education centre established by the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation in 1994.

Wednesday, 7th October

On Wednesday, The Duke and Duchess visited a child-friendly police centre at Broadhurst Police Station, where they met the First Lady Kaone Boko, Dinah Marathe, Police Commissioner, and Dr Kimanzi Muthengi, UNICEF Acting Representative to Botswana. Their Royal Highnesses found out more about the work of the centre and its child-led approach before being given a tour of the site. They had the opportunity to meet family members of children who accessed the centre’s services before departing. 

Child-friendly police centres are part of a wider project – between the Government of Botswana, UNICEF and the UK Government) – to ensure that children who encounter the justice system are treated safely, sensitively and without further trauma.

Then, The Duke and Duchess were invited on a tour of De Beers, which plays significant role in Botswana’s diamond industry and wider economic development. Diamonds make up over ninety percent of Botswana’s exports and nearly half of the country’s GDP. Their Royal Highnesses heard how, as a UK-head quartered company, De Beers represents a key part of the UK-Botswana relationship. 

Following, The Duke visited The University Innovation Pod, an innovation, design and fabrication environment that enables innovators, students, entrepreneurs and project teams to transform ideas into practical solutions through access to technical expertise, digital fabrication technologies, prototyping facilities and collaborative innovation spaces. In the Design Lab, His Royal Highness was given an introduction to the University Innovation Pod. There was also the opportunity to speak with students and innovators in the Creative, AI, Fabrication and Prototyping Labs. 

Meanwhile, The Duchess visited the Anglican Church of Botswana. On arrival, Her Royal Highness was greeted by the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Botswana, the Right Reverand Metlayotlhe Beleme. The Bishop took The Duchess on a tour of the Church before Her Royal Highness meets members of the church community. Before departing, The Duchess viewed a choral presentation by the Cathedral Youth Choir and met the choristers following their performance.

The Anglican Diocese of Botswana has maintained a companion relationship with the Church of England’s Diocese of Newcastle since 2003, supporting mutual prayer, visits and fellowship between the two dioceses.