India/Botswana partnership blossoms as ITEC marks 61 years
India’s long-standing development partnership with Botswana was firmly in the spotlight last Wednesday as the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme marked its 61st anniversary.
The feel-good event celebrated six decades of skills transfer, institutional collaboration and people-to-people ties between the two nations.
Speaking at the commemorations in Gaborone, the Indian High Commissioner to Botswana, Bharath Kumar Kuthati, described ITEC as the very soul of India’s development partnership with Africa.
He explained the programme is rooted in the belief that sustainable progress is built on human capacity, shared knowledge and mutual respect.
Launched in 1964, ITEC has supported the training of hundreds of Batswana professionals across government, forestry, defence, health, education and the private sector in India.
According to the High Commissioner, the programme is not transactional, nor about exporting solutions, but about co-creating capacity through respectful, locally grounded partnerships.
“It recognises that every country has its own priorities, context and strengths,” he explained.
Kuthati linked the relevance of ITEC to Botswana’s national development agenda, noting that as BW advances towards Vision 2026 and navigates economic and developmental challenges, capacity building remains critical.
He reaffirmed India’s commitment to supporting Botswana through ITEC, ICCR scholarships and newer initiatives in digital skills, renewable energy, health systems and emerging technologies.
He also highlighted the renewed momentum in bilateral relations following the President of India, Droupadi Murmu’s historic state visit in November 2025.
“As we mark 61 years of ITEC, let us reaffirm its core values: solidarity, partnership and shared progress. India will continue to stand with Botswana, not as a donor, but as a trusted partner in development,” promised Kuthati.
The strength of the programme was illustrated by ITEC alumni who shared personal and professional journeys shaped by their training in India.
Patrick Manaka Pelepetu, a lecturer in Media Studies at the University of Botswana (UB), recounted his 2025 training in Communication for Development in Kolkata, where he was exposed to advanced digital systems, media production technologies and integrated newsroom operations.
He said the experience has directly influenced institutional plans at UB, including the development of a fully functional campus television and news platform, inspired by benchmarking exercises at leading Indian film and media institutes.
“If it wasn’t for ITEC, we wouldn’t have known about that place. We wouldn’t have known what was possible,” he said, describing the programme as both a professional and cultural bridge between the two countries.
From a digital economy perspective, Nyalazi Mnyamani, an inter-agricultural advisor at the Botswana Digital Innovation Hub, said his training on India’s digital payment systems and financial infrastructure revealed how deliberate national policy can drive mass digital inclusion.
He mentioned India’s near-cashless economy, the use of national digital identity systems, and the global reach of platforms such as UPI, arguing that Botswana could explore strategic partnerships with India in digital payments, fintech, heritage tourism and sustainable agriculture value chains.
“What we saw is that digital transformation can be a deliberate national decision, embraced by the entire population,” he said
Throughout the event, a recurring theme was the idea of alumni as living bridges between Botswana and India professionals who carry not only technical skills, but enduring relationships, trust and cultural understanding.
As the two countries strengthen cooperation in education, defence, digital transformation, renewable energy and innovation, the ITEC Programme continues to stand as one of the most tangible symbols of their partnership, a quiet but powerful engine of human development, diplomacy and shared progress.
