02 Feb 2016

Entrepreneurship, especially manufacturing, agriculture and tourism hold the key to sustainable employment and wealth creation.

This was said by Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso during the Shoshong constituency Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) job creation workshop in Kalamare on Saturday.

Ms Tshireletso said through manufacturing goods the country could reduce the import bill and create jobs for many people, adding that the Ministry of Trade and Industry lists 126 products that were currently imported in large quantities into the country.

She urged the Shoshong community to consider venturing into manufacturing and the production of some of the imported goods and products.

She noted that tourism employs 35 000 Batswana, adding that it has the potential to create a further 17 000 jobs.

Ms Tshireletso said Shoshong with a rich history, cultural heritage and natural beauty has the potential to tap into the vast tourism market.

She explained that the workshop marked yet another step in the right direction by their constituency towards opening up opportunities an economic empowerment.

She said she was aware that they already had such initiatives as the Shoshong Constituency, Your Investment Destination, Shoshong Development Trust and various cooperatives which were working on the 1 Megawatt solar generation plant.

She said they were commendable initiatives which would serve as a catalyst towards developments in their constituency, employment creation, poverty eradication and the creation of prosperity and sustainable livelihoods for the people of Shoshong.

Furthermore, Ms Tshireletso noted that in his State-of-the-Nation Address last year, President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama outlined the government's intention to accelerate employment creation through ESP.

She said ESP was the government's action plan to stimulate economic growth, accelerate job creation and promote economic diversification.

She explained that key to achieving the objective of employment creation were interventions aimed towards increased citizen participation through a robust implementation and promotion of citizen participation in the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD) and Local Economic Drive (LED) initiatives through the promotion and support of local manufacturing.

For his part, Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele said the objective of the workshop was to provide a platform for dialogue and information sharing on various opportunities presented under the ESP which create employment.

Mr Makgalemele also said the aim of the workshop was to promote self-reliance amongst residents to carry out certain projects, and to bring in the private sector to help them to attain their goals. 

He said as the leaders of Shoshong constituency they were doing everything in their power to ensure that residents benefit from the programme hence the workshop.

The theme of the workshop was: Towards full employment through the Economic Stimulus Programme.

Mr Makgalemele noted that the theme was challenging because it was not an event, but a process and that to attain it they have to work hard to create jobs.

He urged participants to listen attentively to the deliberations, strategies and initiatives presented to them, and to also listen to the budget speech as they could benefit from it. Ends