14 Nov 2017

Senior assistant council secretary, Mr Onthatile Molelu said the purpose of Local Economic Development (LED) programme in Boteti was to build up economic capacity of a local area to improve its economic future and quality of life for all.

 

Mr Molelu said this during Local Economic Development workshop held in Letlhakane recently.

 

He said it was a process by which public, business and non-governmental sector partners work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment generation.

 

Mr Molelu stated that LED was a process where local people from all sectors work together to stimulate local commercial activity resulting in a resilient and sustainable economy.

 

The objective of the programme, he said was to understand better; roles of different players in the local economy, role of government, council and private sector to create an enabling environment and drive the economy.

 

The reasons for implementing LED, he said was to enable local stakeholders, identify their needs, understand their resource endowments as much as improve livelihoods in their localities in a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable way.

 

Mr Molelu said that would enable them to diversify and grow economies, eradicate poverty, improve the livelihoods of the community as well as creation of decent and sustainable jobs.

 

Deputy district commissioner, Mr Ewetse Selelo stated that Boteti Sub-district, Goodhope Sub-district, North West District, Ghanzi and Lobatse town councils were nominated to implement LED programme.

 

Boteti Sub-district, he said had formulated a task team to facilitate implementation, made of various units such as commercial affairs, economic planning, district officer for development, physical planning and LED focal person.

 

Mr Selelo said the purpose of LED was to contribute to national economic growth and diversification as well as ensuring social, economic and environment sustainability.

 

That, he said was making job creation number one priority and taking Botswana out of poverty.

 

He said it was expected that local authorities would be key drivers of LED in the country, guided and supported by national government.

 

Mr Selelo said that would be realised through a combination of an enabling policy framework and development as well as appropriate tools to plan and implement LED.

 

While government created an enabling environment, he said private sector was expected to drive local economy.

 

LED, he said was a process through which public, business and non-government partners work collectively to create better conditions for economic growth and employment.

 

Principal roads engineer, Mr Alastar Raborothi said LED addressed national developmental challenges citing dependence on single economic sector, economic and environmental vulnerability as much as poverty inequality and exclusion.

 

He stated that steps in undertaking LED implementation were local economic assessment report, development of LED strategy as much as its implementation, implementation of LED projects, monitoring and evaluation.

 

For his part, Xhumo councillor, Mr Elijah Motsamai said resources were abundant but there was lack of training on business skills, while nominated councillor, Mr Geoffery Nsiiwa suggested that there should be committees that could run LED programme.

 

Letlhakane Central councillor, Mr Molemi Galeragwe suggested there should be some projects that could be used as pilot projects for LED.

 

LED commissioner for Central District  Council,  Mr Charles Majweng commended Boteti for making a significant progress on LED. Mr Majweng said Bye-laws should be softened to enable a conducive trading environment for small- medium enterprises.

 

He stated that as government channel funds towards empowering the youth, there should be returns. BOPA