On 28 April 2025, WHO Nation Consultant, Dr. Fabian Ndenzako, paid a courtesy go to to the College of Botswana College of Nursing, a WHO Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) for Nursing and Midwifery Growth since 1990. He was accompanied by Dr. Juliet Bataringaya, Well being Techniques Advisor, and Ms. Boingotlo Ramontshonyana, Focal Level for District Well being System Strengthening.
Dr. Ndenzako was welcomed by Professor Magowe, Dean of the College of Well being Sciences; Professor Phaladze, Deputy Dean; Dr. Samuel Matula, Head of the College of Nursing; Ms. Mosidi Mokotedi, WHOCC Coordinator; and different school members. In her welcome remarks, Prof. Magowe supplied an summary of the College of Well being Sciences, which encompasses the College of Nursing, College of Allied Well being Professions, College of Pharmacy, and College of Public Well being. She highlighted that the College of Nursing, established in 1978, is the oldest inside the school. Its core mission is to provide extremely expert and well-rounded well being professionals to serve Botswana, the African continent, and past. The college aligns its undergraduate and graduate coaching with worldwide requirements and promotes sturdy analysis to tell evidence-based curricula. The college additionally affords graduate packages, together with grasp’s and PhD levels.
Dr. Matula elaborated on the evolution of the College of Nursing, noting that it started because the Division of Nursing Training in 1978 and have become a full-fledged college in 2007. The college affords each undergraduate and postgraduate levels, together with the Bachelor of Nursing Science and the Grasp of Nursing. A PhD programme can be anticipated to be launched quickly. Notably, the Grasp of Nursing in Gerontology and Palliative Care was launched in August 2024.
Designated in 1990, the College of Nursing is a WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Amongst its contributions, the college developed a mannequin for home-based care that has been shared regionally. It has performed an important function in introducing nursing training in greater establishments throughout the East, Central, and Southern Africa (ECSA) area, and has supported the institution of Nationwide Nurses Associations and Nursing and Midwifery Councils. The college has been instrumental in standardizing nursing and midwifery curricula and strengthening regulatory frameworks.
The college is a member of key regional networks such because the Consortium for Increased Training in Nursing and Midwifery in Africa (CHENMA) and the Japanese, Central, and Southern Africa Faculty of Nursing (ECSACON). It has mobilized assets for tasks such because the Adolescent Well being and HIV/AIDS Mission and the Mission for Nursing Management. Collaborations lengthen past the federal government to incorporate the College of Pennsylvania, Rutgers College, the College of Michigan, the Most cancers Affiliation, and varied NGOs.
From 2018 to 2022, the WHOCC targeted on strengthening the function of nursing and midwifery in decreasing the burden of Non-Communicable Ailments (NCDs), selling well being and wellness throughout the lifespan, and enhancing maternal, new child, baby, and adolescent well being companies. These efforts had been carried out in collaboration with different WHOCCs, civil society organizations, and improvement companions.
Beneath its present designation (March 2022 to February 2026), the WHOCC is working in the direction of three core goals:
1.    Conducting collaborative analysis on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing and midwifery workforce.
2.    Strengthening nursing and midwifery management in step with WHO’s Strategic Instructions for Nursing and Midwifery (2021–2025).
3.    Selling rehabilitative and palliative care companies inside the context of revitalized Main Well being Care.
Dr. Matula reported notable progress. For the COVID-19-related analysis, the college performed literature opinions and co-authored three publications. It additionally assessed management gaps amongst nurses, with one publication underway. Management improvement efforts included benchmarking coaching {qualifications} and supplies utilized in Botswana in opposition to worldwide assets, equivalent to these from the South Pacific GNWHOCCNM and Kamuzu College of Well being Sciences. A pilot management workshop was performed, and its outcomes documented.
To strengthen rehabilitative and palliative care, a wants evaluation was carried out, resulting in the event of a specialised Oncology and Palliative Nursing curriculum. Dr. Matula acknowledged that whereas implementation was delayed by extended COVID-19 response efforts and funding constraints, international WHOCC networks and partnerships with communities and stakeholders stay precious enablers for progress.
In his remarks, Dr. Ndenzako recommended the College of Nursing for its 35-year tenure as a WHO Collaborating Centre. He famous that Botswana at present hosts two WHOCCs, the second being the Botswana Nationwide HIV Drug Resistance Laboratory, designated in 2023. He praised the college’s analysis outputs and emphasised their significance in informing WHO insurance policies.Dr. Ndenzako highlighted the altering international well being financing panorama, which requires stronger partnerships to advance the well being agenda. He inspired the college to doc and publish its 35-year journey to share classes with different establishments. He reaffirmed WHO’s dedication to supporting the WHOCC’s continued efforts.
In closing, Dr. Sebego thanked WHO for its ongoing collaboration and underscored the necessity to maintain and strengthen the partnership.