09 Aug 2017

People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) have been urged to participate in the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD) and to venture into businesses to earn a living and create employment for others.

Making a presentation at a training workshop for People Living with Disabilities at Pudulogong Rehabilitation Centre in Mochudi on August 8, enterprise development officer from the EDD Unit in the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ms Chendzimu Mbereki said EDD was a national strategy aimed at accelerating diversification of the economy.

She further said EDD was a citizen economic empowerment tool for Batswana including people with disability adding that there was need for them to be brought on board to play a role in the economy.

She said EDD was initiated after government realised that despite significant growth in the past, there was still reliance on few sources of growth and revenues especially diamonds.

She said through EDD, expectations were that the drive will create employment and wealth, develop the economy, eradicate poverty and create a broad industrialised based economy.

She added that the approach was to use government purchasing power to promote consumption and production of locally produced goods and services through preference schemes in order to create employment, improve enterprise competitiveness and ultimately reduce import bill.

Speaking on economic empowerment and PLWDs mainstreaming, chief commercial officer Ms Mpho Lucas from EDD Unit said as the ministry they have a mandate to make sure that the PLWDs were economically empowered.

She said one way of reaching out to them was through training workshops geared at sensitising them on government schemes which they could take advantage of.

Ms Lucas said through the workshop, the will share information on what the PLWDs could do to benefit from available programmes. She said as they will be graduating at the end of the year, some of them may not find employment but could start businesses.

She further said they have decided to impart knowledge on them especially that their ministry had under their wing different parastatals which helped with economic development and empowerment.

Ms Lucas said many were talented, an experience which they could use to earn a living adding that parastatals had been encouraged to empower these special groups of people among them women and youth.

In his welcome remarks, Pudulogong Rehabilitation Centre director, Mr Moilwa Pheko said the information shared will go a long way in helping them realise their potential and that they can also venture into business to earn a living.

He encouraged all to give PLWDs a chance to prove themselves and be accommodated in the business society. ENDS