21 Mar 2018

The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) is strengthening its efforts in working with the private sector to help diversify the economy and create employment. 

Giving a keynote address at the Private Sector Business Forum acting MITI minister Mr Biggie Butale informed the attendees of the forum that his ministry had been given a daunting mandate of diversifying the economy away from stimulating growth in other sectors thereby spurring job creation. At the front-line of the battle to create employment and diversify the economy, government has anointed the private sector as the lead partner.

“Government has over the years put in place measures in the form of policies, strategies and programmes aimed at spurring job creation and these include the first Industrial Development Policy (IDP) in 1984, the Economic Diversification Drive initiative, collaboration with the private sector on the development of the Private Sector Development Strategy and Programmes etc,” Mr Butale stated.

Mr Butale further explained that according to the African Development Bank economic outlook for 2018 for Botswana’s economy will  see a sustained pickup in the medium term, with real GDP growth projected to rise to nearly five per cent in 2018.

The acting minister further stated that unemployment was estimated at about 20 per cent out of which 70 per cent was constituted by youth. However, the figure is set to  decline to 18.7 per cent by the end of the first quarter of 2018.

“In conclusion I wish to emphasise that my ministry is more than ready to play its role of creating an enabling environment through which business can operate and flourish; I am hopeful at the end of this forum we will have workable and measurable interventions that will be implemented by key organisations,” Mr Butale concluded.

The  private sector got to share ideas and their concerns with the minister during the forum.ENDS