02 Sep 2018

Mahalapye Sub-district Council assistant council secretary, Mr Detto Molatlhegi has expressed concern about the low number of people with disabilities who ventured into business.

He said through affirmative action, government had created a platform for the less privileged and people living with disabilities to utilise empowerment programmes to better their lives.

Officiating at a entrepreneurship and skills development workshop for people with disabilities hosted by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry in Mahalapye recently, Mr Molatlhegi said programmes aimed at uplifting people with disabilities were at the top of government’s agenda.

He said the urgency to mainstream disability issues in all agencies should not come as a surprise to anyone since the 2011 housing and population census showed that 59 103 people out of the population of over 2 million were disabled.

He said the census further revealed that people with disabilities were under represented in the education system and not engaged in meaningful economic activities and disproportionately affected by poverty.

He said the government strived to create a conducive environment for them by equipping them with skills and competencies to establish business entities.

“We therefore must reach out and disseminate information to people with disabilities so that they partake in the local economy. People with disability are our economic development partners as well as drivers,” he said.

Mr Molatlhegi urged stakeholders to promote and protect the rights of people with disabilities by including them in all aspects of societal development.

He further said people with disabilities should be taken as full members of society who contributed to their families and the community as well as to be given recognition as productive members of society.

He said all barriers hampering their contribution in society, communication and their rights as human beings should be dealt with.

He said the workshop was meant to provide knowledge on entrepreneurship, adding that powered with knowledge, they would be able to venture into sustainable businesses.

He said government acknowledged the economic hardships faced by unemployed Batswana and implored people living with disabilities to consider taking up entrepreneurship development in order to employ themselves and others.

For her part, the chief commercial officer from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ms Polly Lucas said her ministry was focused on improving livelihoods, and that in the process they had realised that women and those living with disabilities were lagging behind on issues of economic empowerment hence they saw a need to reach out to them and empower them with entrepreneurial skills and help them kick-start their own businesses.

She encouraged people with disabilities not to despair as they had the right to equally benefit from government programmes.

Ms Lucas said the ministry was trying by all means to incorporate those living with disabilities in their programmes as well as creating a conducive environment for them. ENDS