07 Aug 2016

Productivity is the main driver of economic growth and prosperity, United States ambassador, Earl Miller has said.

Speaking at the excellence and distinction awards for the Department of National Museum and Monuments, Miller said Botswana aspired to achieve high level of productivity and this aspiration was also evident in the vision; Towards Prosperity for All.

Miller said excellence and distinction awards known as Botswana Public Service Rewards Programme were one of the initiatives instituted by the government to achieve the aim of prosperity for all.

The objectives of the initiative, he said, were to encourage exceptional performance to reward initiatives, ideas, creativity of an individual officer that result in the further development of the ministry or department and to reward sustained good governance practices in all ministries or departments.

“Excellence and distinction awards are implemented each financial year across the public service to recognise and reward excellent performance, innovation, creativity as well as long and distinguished service that result in furthering the mission of the ministry/departments and consistent practice of good governance principles,” he said.

He said the Department of National Museum and Monuments which is also known as Botswana National Museum was established by the Act of Parliament in 1967 and it is an institution that exists to protect, preserve and promote Botswana’s cultural and natural heritage posterity.

Mr Miller noted this mandate was diffused through its division in the areas of archaeology, zoology, geology, botany, ethnology, history, heritage management and communications.

He noted that rewarding good performance was a challenging task, which had to be done in a transparen manner.

Director of National Museum and Monuments Gaogakwe Phorano said the awards were meant to encourage performance.

He said the recipients did not only receive awards but were also given vouchers that could assist them in short term training or something that would continuously augment what they were doing at work. ENDS