07 Jul 2015

Wireless cellphone service giants, Mascom conducted a two days consultative meeting for Mascom Kitsong centre operators at the Botswana National Productivity Center.


When addressing media at the launch, Mascom Public Relations Manager, Tebogo Lebotse-Sebego said the forum will afford all Kitsong centre’s operators to share ideas as they are always faced with challenges.

“It is for this reason why we brought you here, because there are some centers which are doing very well and doing tremendous work out there” she said.
 Mrs Lebotse-Sebego said the workshop will engage the centers which are not doing well so that they learn from those that do better in order to change or improve the way they operate their business.

She further said the forum will give a chance to the owners of the centers to be introduced to a collaboration tool.

The tool that will make it easy for the owners to network, because she said it is wise to learn what others are doing so they can do something differently.


She said the tool will allow them to learn from each other by means of sharing information; ideas and benchmark to make sure their business are sustainable and successful.


Mrs Lebotse-Sebego said Mascom collaborated with the government with the idea to bring Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to empower youth therefore make ICT donations to remote villages. By doing so she said government had made them commit to set up 41 centers however today they managed to make a double of what the government tasked them of.


She said they are developing 15 more centers that will be handed early next year and the idea is not just about creating employment but to make sure Mascom makes a mark in the community of Botswana.

Thomas Bika, Gakutlo Kitsong Center owner praised Mascom for the opportunity that they gave him. He said it is through such centers that enabled him to put in practice his entrepreneur skills. 


“Today I am able to put food on my table and to help my family because of my Kitsong Center. I should point out that I am grateful for this opportunity because now I am a successful entrepreneur” he said.
Mr Bika told his success story, stating that he started his journey four years back in Gakutlo.

He pointed out that he can do some things that he could not do before owning the center. He said his center is able to provide ICT services to other remote places around Gakutlo.
He added that he is also helping government to reach out to people because some of the government offices do not have electricity and internet.


For his part Director in the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services in the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) Cecil Masiga, applauded Mascom for the footprint they are achieving with the Kitsong project.


He said this will help educate people in rural places by providing ICT services while at the same time empowering young people in the country.


Mr Masiga challenged Mascom to go beyond what they have achieved now, stating that he believes that they are a capable company that can change the outlook of business composition stating that Mascom contributed immensely into creating a model that Kitsong is today by improving a concept MTC had initially proposed.


Mr Masiga further challenged Kitsong center owners to try and enhance their knowledge by taking part in online courses to try to better their business.

He encouraged them not to only look into places that deal with ICT but advised them to rather try and find ways of diversifying by creating new business ideas so they can merge into ICT. Ends