10 Jun 2014

The twinning agreement between Francistown and Genk have benefited both cities, says Francistown mayor, Mr James Kgalajwe.

 Speaking at a ceremony to renew the twinning agreement at the Civic Centre Hall in Francistown recently, Mr Kgalajwe noted that two students from the Francistown Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) were in Genk on an exchange programme. 



The ceremony was graced by a delegation from the Belgian city of Genk lead by the mayor, Mr Wim Dries. The first twinning agreement was signed 10 years ago.

 Mayor Kgalajwe said they expect the city of Genk to also send nursing students for attachment at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital in November.



“I invite companies from Belgium to come and invest in Francistown as there are many opportunities. Go back home knowing that Francistown is your second home,” he said. Mr Kgalajwe said he appreciated the twinning agreement, saying the two sister cities councils continue to operate without any impediments to better the lives of city dwellers in each country.



He said the twinning agreement  was the best in the country, adding that other cities benchmarked on the agreement to see what they could learn.

 The twinning agreement’s memorandum states that the purpose of the relationship is the development of the two cities through the exchange of ideas between the two cities and communities.



Mayor Kgalajwe noted that the twinning agreement presented an opportunity to harness the bilateral agreements that exists between Botswana and Belgium. Mayor Dries of Genk said he believed that if twins were together for 10 years, they learned from each other and that was what they have done.

“It is a bonding of two cities to become one entity which cannot exist without the other.

Nine years ago was the beginning of a journey that we did not know where it will take us, but today we stand here as brothers and sisters having decided to go on with our twinship, ” he said.

 Mayor Dries said their relationship was based on projects which empowered the youth and developed infrastructure. ENDS