Engineering Botswana’s Future: Mr K’s Keynote on Ethics, Skills, and 6% Growth

This is a special episode featuring a keynote speech by Mr K at the 6th Engineering Forum 2026, delivered during Global Engineering Week. Mr K argues that Botswana is at an inflection point and that engineers must play a central role in building the country’s next era of growth. He unpacks why infrastructure is the engine of national transformation, why ethics and governance determine whether projects create value or waste, and why education must shift from certificates to real capabilities that match the complexity of the BETP and Vision 2036 agenda. What you’ll learn: Why flagship infrastructure projects can become “anchor assets” that transform whole economies What Botswana must do to move from upper-middle income to high-income status — and why 6% growth is the real target Why the Development Manager (DM) model became a costly lesson in governance, process, and ethical courage How “overdesign,” inflated scopes, and vanity projects quietly tax future generations Why sustainability is also about maintenance, asset management, and water security — not only new projects Why AI literacy is becoming non-negotiable for engineers — from cost checks to predictive maintenance and smarter grids