10 May 2016

World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD) is billed for Thamaga on May 24.

Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo said at a press briefing in Gaborone on May 9 that Vice President Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi will officiate at the event. 

The event will help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of Internet and other information and telecommunication technologies could bring to the society and economy as well as to bridge the digital divide.

The WTISD will be held under the theme, ICT Entrepreneurship for Social Impact. Mr Mabeo said  with the theme adopted this year they intended to improve the business sector through ICT entrepreneurs. 

“We are involved in the development of innovative ICT- enabled solutions and services with unique and long lasting impact in the global and national economies,” he said. He added that they were an important source of job creation and growth especially for the youth.

Minister Mabeo said Thamaga had recently been faced with a lot of social ills especially amongst the youth. He said that taking such services to them would help rationalise the problems that the village had been experiencing. 

He said 40 youths will be trained on ICT technologies so that they would be in a position to teach members of the village. He said they would place computers in libraries to ensure that they benefited all members of the community.

He said they would teach start-ups businesses and Small- Medium Sized enterprises on ICT technologies to ensure the economic growth in a sustainable and inclusive manner.

Mr Mabeo said the communication services had been easy outsourced to Batswana through the commemoration of WTISD. He said since 2003 they outsourced these technologies to villages such as Serowe, Ncojane, Kaudwane, Shorobe and Gantsi, mentioning just a few. 

Reaching out to those villages they managed to install computers and connect Internet in schools and libraries. ENDS