The Botswana Accountancy College story is a unique but profound one which has since developed into a “colorful journey”. From its inception thirteen years ago in 1996, no one would have imagined the college to have reached the greater heights it currently enjoys in the corporate and academic context.  

Under the watchful eye of “Agnes”, the college has remained focused in its ‘promise’. It has grown from strength to strength and has ‘pushed the envelope’ in its mission to meet and exceed expectations of all of its stakeholders. In the process, the college has built a formidable brand which is currently a household name at home and internationally. It has also created for itself, an enviable position and a niche in what it does best – tertiary education.

All of this is made possible by the commitment of its professional staff who are experts in their various fields of business disciplines. They have the best interest of the student at heart and have made a lifetime commitment to make a difference in the lives of young people and their future careers. Students are promised, and do become beneficiaries to a modern setting of a learning environment, benchmarked against the best in the international tertiary education space. In this regard, the ‘student experience’ is a reality for most of our students.

The BAC operates from two main centers – the main campus in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, and Francistown in the north of the country. Its learning environment exudes confidence everywhere you look. It holds in high esteem, young people who know what they want out of it. The corporate culture of BAC, and its strong leadership style, has all the hallmarks of an organization which most people would want to be a part of between students, academics and other partner organizations. The college is driven by talent and belief in self. The virtue of teamwork could not thrive better! When all is said and done, out of BAC emerges rounded business leaders who subsequently make their mark as captains of industry and ambassadors to the good name of BAC.

Arguably, the only tertiary institution of its kind in the Southern Africa region, differentiated business model underpinned by its blended suite of courseware in its portfolio of offerings. Embedded in its organizational structures is the culture of quality which in many ways enables the college to gain the respect it currently does. Although it is a quasi public sector organization, BAC ‘behaves and thinks’ like a privately owned business. In other words, its private sector ethos accounts for its success. The college was conceived out of an urgent need by the Government of Botswana to address the acute shortage of citizen professional accountants; it then became the brainchild of the Botswana Government, DeBeers Botswana the mining group and the Botswana Institute of Accountants who brought it into existence with a clear mandate.

Today, the college prides itself in a number of international awards conferred by global organizations ranging from the “Premier +” Tuition Provider” status, and now the “GoldStatus”. awarded by ACCA Global (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), the “CIMA Global (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Learning Quality Partner” the “NCC Regional Centre of Excellence,”and more recently the PMR Africa Diamond Arrow award for leaders and achievers. These awards in many respects define the college and they reinforce its brand as an institution which is determined to keep a tight rope on its pedigree by ‘acting locally and thinking globally.

BAC‘s raison d’être and therefore its core purpose is encased in its underlying mission” To become the centre of excellence for accountancy and business training in Botswana and Southern Africa”.

The BAC offering of programmes range from internationally recognized accountancy qualifications, undergraduate honors degree programmes delivered in partnership with two U.K. universities in business and business related disciplines, including computing, entrepreneurship and tourism management.

In addition, there is an MBA programme on offer as a ‘top-up’ programme for members of recognized accountancy bodies. Graduate programmes are also offered at MSc level in strategy and related subjects.

The college role in the tertiary education landscape is best explained by pinpointing the five strategic areas of focus.

National Tertiary Education Policy – capacity building& transition into a “Business School”

BAC seamlessly links its business to the National Vision 2016 and pivots its strategy around the national priorities of skills development and capacity building in line with the “new order” of ‘the knowledge based economy’. Within the transformation process, the BAC positions itself as a college transitioning into a business school and the ‘centre of excellence’

Positioning as a regional player in the tertiary education landscape

The Southern Africa region is a key region for the college to focus upon at two levels:

• International agencies and donor countries are keen to support the economies of the region through, in some cases an economic reconstruction platform and by building the level of confidence that will inspire potential foreign investors in the areas of corporate governance and stable financial systems.
• Capacity building in the area of skills development and the creation of competency frameworks to support the curriculum are the key areas of focus upon which BAC is well positioned to tap into the opportunities that present themselves.

Capacity to appeal to the discerning local and international student- Customer Focus

BAC adopts the approach of the “single view of the customer” and embraces the total quality customer focus culture. The college learning environment, its academic profile and its pristine facilities are the envy of many. It is for this reason that the college is described as “The centre of excellence” for it provides to the key stakeholder, an unforgettable ‘student experience”.

With a string of awards behind its name, including among others the ACCA “Premier + Tuition Provider” status, and now a “Gold Status” with the same global professional body, an award for the “CIMA Learning Quality Partner” and more recently, the “NCC Regional Centre of Excellence, the college can lay claim to significant hallmarks and emblems of a truly local and regional provider with the pedigree to ‘act locally and think globally”.

• Developing and growing strong links with key Strategic Partners

The cultivation of strong links with its strategic partners is pivotal to the success of the college. BAC selects its partners very carefully consistent with their reputation and standing in the professional domain and in academia. In this regard, the college aims to achieve convergence of values and culture compatibility. Its partners are the global professional bodies and UK universities including ACCA, CA (England & Wales), Botswana Institute of Accountants, CIMA, AAT, The University of Derby, (UK), The University of Sunderland, (UK) and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) among others.

Investing in people to offer industryrelevant programmes

The college invests significantly in ensuring that it procures from the best pool of human capital; a professional lecturing team of the highest calibre. This is necessary as the college positions itself to become “the centre of excellence for accountancy and business training in Botswana and Southern Africa”. The BAC’s outlook is to develop people not only to be employment ready, but also to create wealth, hence its emphasis on entrepreneurship development in its academic programming.