15 Oct 2018

The district officer in Jwaneng, Mr Thusang Nyoni has underscored the need for strategic partnerships to address issues such as unemployment and poverty.

Speaking at the beginning of the five-day art and craft training organised by Jwaneng Mine and Jwaneng Town Council on October 15, Mr Nyoni said such collaborations could go a long way in helping attain poverty-free communities.

The training, which is undertaken by South African-based African Art Centre, is targeting participants from Jwaneng and surrounding villages such as Sese, Maokane, Mokhomma, Samane, Tsonyane and Maboane.

“This vision of poverty-free communities can be achieved through strategic partnerships between the government, private and civic sectors. These partnerships provide for shared resources, skills development and innovative interventions for tackling development issues such as unemployment,” he said.

He commended Debswana for its deliberate efforts to come up with initiatives that complemented government programmes intended to address unemployment which is prevalent among the youth, women and people living with disabilities, among others.

Mr Nyoni further urged participants to take advantage of opportunities availed to them to create employment for themselves and others within their communities.

He appealed to them to display the highest level of commitment towards the training so that it could benefit them and their families.

“It is upon us as individuals to make the most of these opportunities and become self-reliant. We are the ones who can create employment for others and contribute to the development of our beloved nation,” he said.

Jwaneng Mine social performance specialist, Mr Rebaone Tswiio said the training was part of their social performance framework which sought to improve the socio-economic status of communities within the mine’s zone of influence.

He said it was one way of diversifying the economy of such communities through creating alternative and sustainable livelihoods apart from employment by the mine.

He urged participants to utilise the opportunity to come up with market-ready products that could compete in the international market.

For her part, the director of African Art Centre, Ms Magdalene Reddy said their focus was reaching out to low-income communities who would in turn help others through skills sharing.

She also said they work with schools to impart such skills which they believe could help change the economic situations within  communities.

She noted that over time they had been striving to make the traditional processes of making arts and crafts more contemporary in order to make them appealing to the young generation. ENDS