Botswana Guardian

Plans underway to construct DNA lab at BIUST

Botswana in urgent need of improved forensic facilities

- Keletso Thobega

Botswana Internatio­nal University of Science and Technology ( BIUST) intends to conduct Scientific Research to generate solutions to address unmet national challenges in the area of forensic science.

At a 10km sponsored walk in Palapye to raise funds to construct a DNA laboratory, BIUST Vice Chancellor Professor Otlogetswe Totolo said there is an identified need in Forensic Science within the Faculty of Science of the BIUST and “we intend to invest in developing it”.

Totolo explained that Botswana urgently needs such a faculty because the country is currently faced with several challenges that require forensic services such as drug overdose, infant and child deaths, murder cases, domestic abuse incidents and road traffic accidents among others, which particular­ly require DNA services for family members and police to identify victims.

He said that the establishm­ent of a DNA lab at BIUST would help ease the burden Government and other private stakeholde­rs have with sourcing DNA services.

Forensic Science is the applicatio­n of scientific and technical knowledge to the investigat­ion of criminal incidents and the evaluation of forensic evidence in support of the legal process.

As a result of the great progress made in the analytical and biological sciences, in particular, genetics, forensic science has increased in its applicabil­ity in solving a wide variety of criminal cases, with the forensic scientist playing a key role.

Professor Totolo said BIUST has the capacity to train those who could assist in solving such heinous crimes but the challenge it faced is the lack of proper facilities and equipment.

“This is one reason that we decided on raising funds to construct the DNA lab. Our scientists and researcher­s will then have a facility to assist the nation in managing the challenges abovementi­oned.”

The BIUST event was held under the theme ‘ A walk to celebrate 10 years of driving change,’ and also formed part of

the activities that build up to the commemorat­ive celebratio­ns of BIUST’s decade anniversar­y.

Professor Totolo said that the institutio­n had come a long way since it first opened its doors at the Oodi campus for its first cohort of students, to being one of the most respected institutio­ns in Botswana and Africa.

 ?? ?? Professor Totolo
Professor Totolo

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