Rafifing: The face of BIUST
Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) has surged in popularity since the coronavirus outbreak following the institution’s consistent presence in various media platforms. In this interview, Mmegi Correspondent KOKETSO KGOBOGE
PALAPYE: Rafifing has been the link between the university, its stakeholders and the public since 2014. In his journey in the communications space, Rafifing has worked for organisations such as Debswana, Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), Botswana Post, Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB), Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning and others before he joined BIUST.
Over the years since inception in 2009, and opening its doors in Palapye in 2012, BIUST has been perceived as a ‘difficult to comprehend Science and Mathematics institution’ and merely viewed as a place for scholars only.
In 2014, Rafifing took the challenge to dissect the mandate of BIUST to a layman’s indulgence, something he pursued with aplomb.
He joined BIUST as a Manager, Marketing and Communications in September 2014 and three months later, he was elevated to acting Director Communications and Public Relations, a portfolio he holds to date. It is through his office that the community of Palapye and the nation are presently in sync with the university’s mandate and has started benefiting from its products. It has not been a smooth sailing for Rafifing and his communications team. The university has gone through bomb scares and strikes, and through the upheavals, the office navigated the ship to tranquil waters.
The team ensured sanity prevailed between the college, its clients and its stakeholders, and that it remained on course to effectively deliver on its mission to the nation. After its primary objective of teaching and learning, research and innovation, and engagement and development, BIUST was formed to act as a catalyst for economic diversification.
The university, through students and its professors’ projects, has a wide range of products. The coronavirus outbreak presented an opportunity for the Science outfit to showcase products of their research. The Palapye-based university has been donating their products that included liquid soaps, soap bars, sanitisers, disinfectants and others around the country. They have also been engaged in disinfecting public spaces around Palapye using drones. Rafifing and his team ensured they rode the wave. They used the opportunity to go countrywide to share their end-products of science: liquid soaps, soap bars, sanitisers, disinfectants and others, and to sell the university’s mandate.
He said they had previously done a lot with annual science and maths festivals and other engagements with the communities around the country to exterminate the perceptions that Mathematics and Science subjects were difficult.
“Many people appreciate the efforts of BIUST, and better the perception of science being a difficult topic is slowly dying. People are encouraged and they are getting to understand that we live with science in everyday life at our households,” Rafifing said. Following their countrywide donations of anti-COVID-19 products, he said they were getting a lot of reviews. He said they put up a strategy and were aggressive during COVID-19 about selling their mandate.
“Now that there is a product, Batswana are taking note of how they could benefit from the University. They are proud of the product. They are proud it is the product of BIUST students and made from local raw materials,” he said.
Himself a product of the University of Indianapolis, he views BIUST as the ultimate challenge in his career path and would only resign from it to pursue his farming endeavours. “Farming paid my school fees.”However, he fondly looks back with pride at how he, amongst teammates endured the challenges he faced at PPADB and contribution to the transformation of Botswana Post.
He established the public relations department at Botswana Post amongst a host of changes he implemented. He developed the brand standard manual that saw the company evolving from the traditional Poso that was only known for the sale of stamps, to a brand it is to date.
For his time at Botswana Post, he prides himself with several accolades like winning first prize at the Information Technology exhibition for four consecutive years amongst others. PPADB was transforming from a government department into a parastatal when he joined. “We did massive education to both government workforces and the tenderpreneurs, and also did massively to ensure all the stakeholders understood the role of PPADB,” he said. Rafifing hails from Moshupa and is a second-born child of eight siblings. He schooled at Mosielele Primary School back in the 1970s before spending five years boarding at Moeding College, for his junior and senior secondary school studies.
At first he was a clerk, before embarking into the communications and marketing industry.
“It is something I did because I had no career advice. I went to tertiary at BIAC (Botswana Institute for Administration and Commerce) without an idea of what to do. I picked secretarial studies and two years later, I joined Debswana for a clerical job,” he reminisces. Four years later, he quit Debswana for Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) where he kick-started his public relations career .
“I have always believed the sky is the limit, and my previous career (at Debswana) was limiting my growth hence I quit .”While at BDC, he enrolled for a Diploma in Marketing with the Institute of Commercial Management in the United Kingdom. After his successful studies, he was offered a scholarship by BDC to study Business Administration at the University of Indianapolis in the United States of America. Four years later, he became a Bachelor of Science graduate with a double major in marketing and corporate communications. He returned and resumed his communications journey at BDC.
Along his path, he bridged the communication gap between several organisations, and the community from an array of industries. He gained massive experience in the communications environment he served for the past three decades.
He has served industries such as the education sector, public procurement, mining and entrepreneurship, postal and communications services and development finance institutions amongst others.
During his elementary school days, he walked 10 kilometres to Masimo every weekend and spent his school holidays herding cattle at the cattle post. He temporarily taught Agriculture Science after completing his senior secondary studies at Moeding College.
“I grew too fond of farming. I have always kept in touch with it throughout my existence, and it is what I am going to do at the end of my stay with BIUST,” concluded the happily married father of two.