The Maun Science Park Project will be a unique opportunity for Botswana and the world to create a fertile test bed of a knowledge-based economy. We will build a living lab of 4IR enabled home community, a research institution and an accelerator facility. Sustainable and affordable living will be at the core of this Project, galvanizing global knowledge and 4IR technology with local tribal wisdom and culture. The outcome will become a blueprint for Africa and the world.

The L.Lab community, situated in Maun as a pilot project, will have 25 pilot Smart Homes located in the Maun Science and Research Park. The L.Lab is a model habitat that can be adopted across Africa that uses innovative digital solutions to improve citizens’ quality of life, improve the efficiency and operations of their community, while ensuring that the needs of the present and future generations with respect to economic, social and environmental aspects are met.

The L.Lab will have access to high-speed network infrastructure, innovation and research platforms available locally through the DIH and the Science and Innovation School of Excellence as well as access to international resources to support its operations. The L.Lab will be connected to a data hub to enable data collection, sharing and reuse for improved services for citizens.  The L.Lab solutions initially developed in Maun will be based on a natural and real-life setting, thus ensuring solutions developed are relevant to local challenges. For this to be realised, the local community will be engaged in the co-creation and development of these solutions. Once tested and piloted in Maun, the developed solutions will then be scaled for adoption across Botswana and the African continent.