05 Mar 2013

The transport system makes the world smaller and allows for regional exchange and integration of economic and cultural virtues, Transport and Communications Minister, Mr Nonofo Molefhi has said.

Mr Molefhi who was officially opening the 6th Africa Transportation Technology Transfer (T2) conference in Gaborone said the fact that the event was attended by many countries from different continents gave Botswana hope that as one world they could work together to deliver good results.

He said there was a time when there were few cars but a great transformation came with time, technology and innovation.

The minister said the government of Botswana came up with a strategy to regulate fuel prices and public transport fares to avoid a situation where businesses would be driven by profit and ignore affordability of passengers.

While he underscored the importance of financing technologies and construction of road networks, Minister Molefhi said finding money to do it remained a problem. Nonetheless he said, countries needed to commit to infrastructure development.

He said Botswana was greatly impacted by the road network as she was at the centre of the region where trucks from South Africa to Namibia, Zambia, and Angola passed through deteriorating the roads.

“Once infrastructure is built, there is need for timeous maintenance because if there is no maintenance the benefits will be short lived,” he noted.

The minister called for greater collaboration between professional associations and governments for collaborations for effective ideas, which would in turn help countries grow economically.

He said the participants should be able to engage in debate, share ideas and experiences for the benefit of the region, continent and the world.

The five day conference is held under the theme: Effective management of transport infrastructure for economic recovery in Africa and has attracted about 230 participants from 20 countries around the world.

It will discuss existing and new approaches on technology transfer that enable countries to develop effective management of transport systems that are safe, efficient, reliable and affordable. ENDS