18 Sep 2017

The operations manager at National Agro Processing in Selebi Phikwe, Mr Ramogoma Kaisara has hailed government efforts of eradicating poverty, stating that beneficiaries now have to ensure that they graduate from poverty.

Speaking during the Selebi Phikwe and Bobirwa poverty eradication exposition on Friday, Mr Kaisara said the poverty eradication programme was designed by government to help people improve their lives by engaging in sustainable businesses.

The exposition was organised by the poverty eradication departments of animal production, crop production, forestry and range resources, gender affairs, social and community development and wildlife and national parks to showcase different projects that had been funded through the poverty eradication programme.

Mr Kaisara implored beneficiaries to ensure that they worked hard to reach the intended purpose of improving the quality of life when given government programmes and schemes.

He stated that people needed to work to accumulate their own materials, as the time for inheritance had long passed.

“The exposition is important in that it gives you time to share experiences, ideas and challenges on how you can grow your businesses,” he said.

He said the exposition was a platform to market their products and network with others to penetrate markets they could not reach on their own.

“Products and services showcased by the beneficiaries are outstanding, and they give the doubting Thomases evidence that government programmes are working,” he said.

He implored deserving citizens and those that have not applied for the poverty eradication programmes to follow suit so that they could improve their lives.

The exposition was held under the theme:Nyeletso lehuma, maikarabelo a mogwebi yo mmotlana.

In view of the theme, Mr Kaisara said beneficiaries should know that business was not a hobby or a weekend activity, but that they should be committed to ensure success, continuity and growth.

Mr Kaisara further stated that the exposition gave beneficiaries a chance for cluster developments where they worked in teams to penetrate markets with huge demand hence reducing their overhead costs.

He also emphasised the need for banking in business, saying it helped one to see how much was generated and to monitor progress and decline.

Giving objectives of the exposition, Selebi Phikwe town clerk, Mr Godimo Garegope said the event was to encourage the development of competitive and sustainable businesses as well as to produce quality products and services.

Mr Garegope noted that the exposition was organised to bring together small-scale entrepreneurs in order to share ideas and experiences as well as to showcase skills possessed by poverty eradication beneficiaries.

Selebi Phikwe mayor, Mr Molosiwa Molosiwa described the exposition as the path to prosperity, and that despite the closure of the BCL mine there was still life in the town.

Mr Molosiwa said with commitment from Bobirwa, Mmadinare and Tswapong areas that form the SPEDU region there could not be gloom in Selibe Phikwe.

He said the exposition was a clear demonstration that poverty eradication programmes were working and could create employment for others.Ends