BR, Ansaldo deal produces first graduates

MBONGENI MGUNI
Staff Writer | Tuesday April 16, 2013 00:00

 

Phineas Murinda and Kennedy Sesinyi graduated after four years of study. In November they received their Electrical Certificates at a Botswana Training Authority (BOTA) graduation ceremony. At the end of last month, the two received their Railway Signalling certificates, after completing in-service training with Ansaldo STS.

The training was both institutional and on-the-job. It was led by a team of Ansaldo STS experts and complimented by the global firm's academies in Australian and France who sent accredited tutors to Botswana.Ansaldo STS also provided equipment specific and procedural courses while conducting assessments. This means the qualifications Murinda and Sesinyi received are internationally recognised.

Six other Batswana are still in the training programme. Once they graduate, they will join Murinda and Sesinyi in contributing to the maintenance of the country's railway signalling system.Botswana Railways contracted STS Southern Africa in 2006 to design, install and commission a state of the art centrally controlled computer-based signalling system over its 886-kilometre rail network. The system installed for Botswana Railways by Ansaldo STS involves satellite tracking of trains, interlinked by voice and data communications through microwave, UHF, VHF and GPS over the whole network.

In addition, the system includes train management, alarm and access control, level crossing protection as well as telephone systems inclusive of voice over Internet technology.Yesterday, Ansaldo STS Southern Africa project manager, Robert Keates explained that following the successful commissioning of the signalling system, the maintenance obligations of the contract has kicked in.As part of the maintenance contract, Ansaldo STS initiated a collaborative training partnership in 2009, involving Botswana Railways, the Botswana Training Authority (BOTA) and two local technical colleges.

'Botswana needs skills and knowledge transfer so that citizens can look forward to a future of prosperity,' he told Mmegi Business yesterday.'Through the initiative, we are demonstrating our commitment to skills and knowledge transfer and we still have more trainees in the pipeline.Railway is a critical service for Botswana and its technology and environment need to be maintained for the country to realise its full potential,' he said.