• UniPod launched Botswana's first homegrown VR program, letting users explore its labs remotely.
• The technology has potential uses in education, tourism, and mining.
• The project is part of Botswana's wider push to diversify away from resource dependence.

The University of Botswana officially launched its first homegrown virtual reality program on April 16, through its innovation hub UniPod in partnership with the Mafikeng Digital Innovation Hub. The technology lets users visit and interact with UniPod's lab facilities entirely online, no physical presence needed. It represents a new way to learn and access research infrastructure.

UniPod director Richie Moalosi called VR one of the core technologies of the fourth industrial revolution — a tool that can replicate real-world environments inside a computer. He stressed the novelty of the project: this is Botswana's first locally built VR experience accessible from a distance, allowing anyone to explore facilities without traveling to them.

In practice, the platform creates a full digital replica of UniPod's installations, labs included, and lets users move through them virtually. The applications span multiple sectors. In education, it makes interactive learning possible without physical infrastructure. In tourism and mining, it enables immersive simulations. It could also open up new business opportunities, particularly in digital content creation and virtual experience services.

The collaboration with the Mafikeng Digital Innovation Hub was central to getting the project off the ground. Its technical expertise shaped how the solution was built. The broader VR and augmented reality market is already massive and still growing fast. According to a March 2022 report by Grand View Research, the global VR market could reach $69.6 billion by 2028, up from $15.81 billion in 2020 — a compound annual growth rate of 18 percent.

Botswana is moving to claim a share of that growth. The country wants to build local capacity in emerging technologies, fuel innovation, and improve employment prospects for its youth. Developing VR expertise fits squarely into that strategy — and could help accelerate the country's shift toward higher-value economic sectors.

Samira Njoya