The Botswana Accountancy College, also known as BAC, is a business school which is headquartered in the city of Gaborone, Botswana. Initially funded and established through a joint venture between the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and Debswana, the college caters for the accountancy and information technology tertiary needs of the country.[1] The Botswana Accountancy College asserts itself as the center of excellence in Southern Africa and beyond. It specializes in areas of accounting, finance, business, management, hospitality, taxation, leisure, and ICT. BAC has two campuses; the main campus is in Gaborone, and the other in Francistown. The Gaborone Campus is located in the Fairgrounds Office Park of south-east Gaborone.[2]
The college was established in 1996 as a joint venture between the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), the Debswana Diamond Company, and the Botswana Institute of Accountants, enrolling about 349 ACCA, CIMA, AAT and NCC diploma students. Botswana Accountancy College also offers undergraduate programs that are accredited by the University of Derby.[4] The objectives of the college were to reduce the reliance on expatriate accountants and, in the long term, to be a self-funding project. BAC is a company limited by guarantee with three sponsors as the shareholders. The MFDP and Debswana funded BAC until 2007. The Gaborone Campus is located in the Fairgrounds Office Park of south-east Gaborone.[5]
Facilities
Within Gaborone, BAC operates from three closely linked campuses:[6]
Main Campus
BIFM (Fairgrounds Office Park Block D building) 2nd Floor across the road from the main campus
Fairgrounds Financial Centre, located within the Fairgrounds location
Cafeteria
Accommodation
BAC can accommodate 112 residential students at the main campus in Gaborone. There are three residential blocks to accommodate students, named after Botswana's revolutionary leaders; Khama, Bathoen I, and Sechele.[7]
Student life
BAC offers extracurricular societies and clubs to students:
The Business Hive was founded in August 2011. It is an entrepreneurship and finance fraternity to allow students to sample the corporate world during their tenure at BAC through workshops, training, and competitions with Botswana entrepreneurs, mentors, and finance professionals.[8]
The Debate Society was founded in January 2011. The students have represented BAC across Southern Africa in debating tournaments, as well as in Berlin, Germany for the World Universities Debating Championship.
