Ukraine launches Map Cam Project
The Ambassador of Ukraine to Botswana, Dr Oleksiy Syvak, this week announced the launch of the Map Cam Project, an initiative aimed at boosting tourism in Botswana through digital mapping technology developed with Ukrainian expertise.
The project will see dozens of Batswana trained to capture high-quality images of tourism attractions and heritage sites across the country, from Gaborone to Mogoditshane, Palapye to Chobe district.
The images will be uploaded to widely used platforms such as Google Maps, with the goal of improving how Botswana's tourism and heritage attractions are surfaced by search algorithms to prospective international tourists.
Speaking in an interview in Gaborone, Dr Syvak said the project centres on digitising 'touristic and historical places all over Botswana' and equipping local participants, described as 'digital enthusiasts,' with the skills to turn that work into a livelihood.
Training will cover not just how to capture images, but how to select and use appropriate equipment, and ultimately how to build a business around the service.
'This information should be applicable to the largest possible audience, with the smallest or no budget,' Dr Syvak said, explaining that the project's low-cost model is designed for participants to adopt the approach without needing expensive resources and infrastructure.
According to the Ambassador, the concept draws on similar initiatives Ukraine has run in Georgia and other European countries, where digitising local attractions on mapping platforms translated into a measurable rise in visitor interest and tourism income.
The project will be delivered by a Ukrainian technical team, led by an expert named as Mykola Omalchenko, working alongside staff from the Ukrainian embassy.
The team will travel to identified locations to digitise sites directly and to train local participants on-site, including in Chobe district, where the effort will also extend to hotels and restaurants to demonstrate how digital visibility tools can support local businesses.
Dr Syvak said discussions are also underway to explore the possibility of opening a Faculty of Tourism in Kasane, in partnership with Ukrainian universities that already run tourism faculties, to give the initiative a longer-term educational foundation and keep skills and business opportunities within the regions where they are developed.
The project has been approved by Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its State Agency for Tourist Development, and has also been discussed with the Ministry of International Affairs and several district councils in Botswana.
Dr Syvak said the embassy is engaging the Botswana Tourism Organisation, along with local businesses and communities, to widen participation beyond those already working in tourism.
Fieldwork is scheduled to run from 12 to 20 September, with the first results to be presented as part of Botswana's 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations on 30 September.
Dr Syvak described the September rollout as a 'training for trainers' phase, with the trained participants expected to continue the work and pass on their skills afterwards.
Sites earmarked for digitisation include a planned Gaborone city tour, the Livingstone Tree in Manyana village, locations in Mogoditshane, and the historic church and surrounding area including a nearby waterfall used for
cultural and spiritual practices in Old Palapye.
Other areas will include, Tsodilo Hills, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Parliament buildings and some of the popular cave systems.
Dr Syvak said the bulk of the project's costs will be covered by the Ukrainian embassy, with local partners expected to contribute in kind, such as accommodation and training venues, to keep the overall budget down.
Equipment, including cameras and other filming tools, will be brought by the visiting Ukrainian expert, who will also demonstrate a range of equipment options so trainees can judge what suits their budget and needs.
Dr Syvak said the embassy is targeting participation 'in the dozens, not hundreds' for this initial phase, describing the project as a first step toward a sustainable, locally driven digital tourism sector in Botswana