04 Jul 2016

 There is a need to resuscitate the principle of self-reliance for the country to attain development it aspires to, says the second president Sir Ketumile Masire.

Giving a public lecture at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), Sir Ketumile said like many elders he was concerned that Batswana were losing the spirit of self-reliance.

“I need to remind the nation that it was through the spirit of self-help and hard work that our poverty stricken country survived the worst phases of its existence,” he said. 

He said the role of government should be to empower its citizens to be successful in a competitive world, and not to protect them from it. He urged Batswana to set higher milestones as they embark on the next phase of their journey after almost 50 years of independence.

He noted that Botswana was still a developing country located within a still marginalised continent, adding that the challenges that the country face would continue to require collective sacrifice.

Sir Ketumile also noted that the country was listed among the 10 least developed countries in the world in 1966.

He said the country’s exports grew from about US$2 milllion to over US$6.5 billion whilst employment rose to half a million from less than 14 000 at independence.

Sir Ketumile also said education and health have consistently been the two largest recipients of public expenditure since 1966.

He noted that today 95 per cent of the population lives within 15km of a public health facility.

The second president also noted that while a few dozen Batswana had been exposed to any form of post-secondary He said the ownership of natural resources was legally vested with the state irrespective of who owns the land upon which they were found.

He said it was equally true of minerals underground, wildlife and communal and state lands.

“It is a pragmatic appreciation of the fact that as long as we are a developing country dependent on finite natural resources, it will be necessary to ensure that they continue to be of direct benefit to all citizens rather than just those few who by chance of birth, place or geography find themselves sitting on a particular deposit.”

For his part, BIUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Otlogetswe Totolo said Sir Ketumile was the right person to lead the public lecture as he led in the building of the nation.

He said the lecture would help the BIUST community and other stakeholders to understand the history of the country.

He said the lecture was also part of BIUST’s quest to transform the economy into a knowledge based one.

The lecture was held under the theme: The journey of Botswana-who we are, where we come from; where we are; and where we are heading.ENDS