06 Nov 2016

Dignitaries who attended the just ended 2016 Joint Forum of Chief Executive Officers of the World Federation of Development Finance Institutions (WFDFIs) were treated to athe richness of the country’s culture.

Giving a keynote address during the Cultural Night held at the Three Chiefs Monument, Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Biggie Butale, said culture had shaped Botswana’s socio-economic development and political landscape.

Through the rich culture, Butale said Botswana had been able to maintain its democracy, peace and tranquility since independence.

“As part of our culture, our dikgosi have maintained an effective consultative process through our traditional Kgotla system,” he said.

The Kgotla system, he said had also served the country well and facilitated freedom of expression, since it allowed all citizens to air their views without prejudice.

“It is through this democracy that we have been able to enjoy the tranquility and harmony that binds us together as a nation,” he said.

In his welcome remarks, Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency board chairperson, Bernard Ditlhabi, said the beauty of culture was not the absence of differences, ‘but is the acknowledgement of both the similarities and differences that exist.

“It is our prayer, hope and expectation that as a family of DFIs, the culture that we seek to embrace, as this big family, can see roots in the individual cultures of the member organisation that exist,” he said.

The forum themed: “DFIs Sustaining Revelance in the Age of Disruption” was held at Gaborone International Convention Centre from November 2 to 4.

The conference was meant to discuss current trends in the global DFI and development environment, develop closer working relationship among CEOs and senior executives of DFIs and their stakeholders across the globe and share and learn best practices in development financing operations.

Other objectives of the forum were to develop and strengthen partnership for cross-border investment promotion and financing, and mobilisation of investment capital, support the effort at promoting inclusive socio-economic development in the continent’s through global cooperation among DFIs and also discuss how DFIs could mobilise resource to ensure successful implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. ENDS