15 May 2018

Botswana and Israel continue to make steady efforts towards further deepening and broadening the scope of the two countries’ bilateral cooperation says the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation, Mr Gaeimelwe Goitsemang.

He said despite the vast distance between the two countries, they shared similar climatic conditions characterised by persistent drought and dry seasons.

He said Israel has managed to develop some of the best farming technologies that could easily be adapted to Botswana’s conditions.

Speaking at the 70th Anniversary of Independence of the State of Israel in Gaborone on Monday, Mr Goitsemang thanked the Israel government for extending scholarships to Batswana to study in Israel, especially on resilient and sustainable farming systems, among others.

He said this good gesture continues to assist Botswana in building the much needed capacity, which will go a long way in improving the livelihood of its people and said to buttress this cordial partnership, in September 2017, the Sedot Negev Regional Council of Israel and the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which established a student training programme between the two institutions.

Mr Goitsemang said currently there are 55 Batswana students enrolled in an 11 months advanced production programme in Israel to expose them to agricultural production technologies and said their training will contribute significantly to the improvement of the country’s agricultural sector.

He further said Botswana will leave no stone unturned in her efforts to explore further avenues to further enhance the fruitful cooperation between the two countries and said together they could do more to facilitate investments in other areas of the economies to address challenges such as youth unemployment and economic diversification.

The Non-resident Israeli Ambassador to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia, Mr Gershon Kedar said the cordial relations between the two countries come a long way and it has been growing stronger and stronger.

Mr Kedar said the two countries share similar climatic conditions of dry seasons and said the situation has taught the governments of the two countries to come up with new ways of doing agriculture in those challenging situations.

He said his government will continue to extend her assistance to other developing countries in their efforts towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

The celebrations were graced by a talented musician from Israel who serenaded the audience with a beautiful Israeli classical jazz music. Ends