GABORONE, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of higher education institutions from Southern African and Nordic countries gathered here on Wednesday for the 12th Southern African-Nordic Centre (SANORD) conference.
The conference themed "Role of Higher Education in Forging Sustainable Livelihoods" will last till Friday.
When officially inaugurating the conference, Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the conference's theme is relevant and timely, "given our increasingly fractured world."
He said the theme is also a clarion call to higher academic institutions to ensure that they respond to the needs of societies.
"The focus is not just on livelihoods, but also on the sustainability of such livelihoods," he said.
The president also expressed gratitude that this year's SANORD conference is hosted by the University of Botswana, saying such a move reflects the confidence that the international and regional communities have in the Southern African country.
In his welcome remarks, David Norris, the university's vice chancellor, encouraged participants to reflect on how best they can maximize resources for sustaining community livelihoods.
Livelihoods, Norris said, can only become sustainable when communities are empowered to mitigate the numerous challenges they encounter.
"Knowledge innovations, health and development are necessary to successful stories in sustainable livelihoods and universities have central roles to play in forging sustainable livelihoods in our countries," he said.
SANORD is a non-profit membership-driven organization formed in 2007 with eight founding members. It has since grown to 48 members, comprising 27 Southern African institutions which are based in Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as 21 Nordic institutions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
