27 Nov 2017

Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Eric Molale says in order to reach the stage of an innovation -led economy, there is need to first attain the stage of knowledge -based society.

Giving a keynote address at a joint graduation ceremony of the Institute of Development Management (IDM) hosted by the Botswana campus in Gaborone on Friday, Mr Molale explained that Botswana had prioritised transiting from a resource -based to a knowledge -based economy.

“We have to do a bit of catch up, but I have no doubt that we have the commitment and resolve to achieve this,” he added.

Minister Molale said the National Human Resource Development Strategy underscored that Botswana should transform from a resource- based economy towards a knowledge-based and innovative society.

“This is premised on the realisation that we are in the age of knowledge. As a result, societies that will forge far ahead are those that put premium on the continuous search for, and acquisition of, knowledge-especially new knowledge,” he added.

He explained that the strategy took an ambitious posture that the country’s education system should produce graduates who were globally competitive and could become global workers.

Mr Molale further said that ‘innovative economies have a different paradigm and if people don’t change their own paradigm, they will forever be in the chasing group’ adding that there was need to inculcate a new mindset and new skill set.

“Global trends such as rising consumer expectations, budgetary constraints, and global competition for investment have transformed the environment in which the public sector operates,” he added.

He therefore said there was need for IDM to facilitate governments to redefine the role of public service, strengthen its customer focus and develop models on integrated service delivery.

The minister said IDM should build capacity on performance improvement and process reform aided by technology, leadership, management of transformation, management of talent and building a culture of customer centric service.

Mr Molale advised graduates that the ‘search for knowledge does not end after studying for the last examination paper nor does it end on graduation day’ saying the search for knowledge was a quest that one undertakes throughout their lifetime.

He said people should learn to be lifelong learners otherwise they would remain behind, while the life long learners would always be ahead of them.

“Various studies and even expert opinion in fields such as Human Resource state that lifelong learning allows one to develop a set of competencies that can be repackaged and transferred across roles in an organisation,” he added.

He commended IDM to have cultivated the right appetite for the growth of great minds that would drive innovation in their respective countries.

For her part, IDM Botswana Local Board chairperson, Ms Ruth Maphorisa thanked the governments of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland for their continued support in maintaining the legacy of their forefathers who had the vision and foresight to create a formidable entity like IDM. BOPA