31 Jan 2019

Botswana’s agenda to develop renewable energy sources has received support from Norway and Spain.

The support was pledged by the two countries’ envoys in Gaborone on Janaury 31 when presenting their credentials to President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

In an interview, Norwegian ambassador, Ms Astrid Helle said companies from her country were willing to explore possibilities of assisting Botswana to develop solar energy sources.

She said being sun-drenched, the country had a comparative advantage to develop renewable energy sources adding “Norway is too advanced in this area and Botswana may learn a lot from us”.

Ms Helle also said Botswana and Norway had deeply rooted relations and shared a common history as well as promoting multilateralism.

She said she discussed with President Masisi about Botswana’s vast natural resources that should be used as an engine for employment creation.

Meanwhile, Spain’s Mr Antonio Pintor said they discussed what could be done to improve the two countries’ relations, particularly in solar energy, tourism and aerospace.

“I envisage a possibility of Spanish companies working with Botswana to set up solar energy sources because already some of them are exploring a framework to work with countries within the Southern African Customs Union,” he said.

He said Spain was willing to assist Botswana in tourism because it receives 83 million visitors yearly and has a lot of experience in the sector.

“We can learn a lot from each other in terms of tourism logistics, which I think are more difficult here owing to the vast space of land that has to be covered infrastructure wise unlike in Spain where there is infrastructural connectivity,” he said.

Mr Pintor further said he intended promoting cultural relations with Botswana through language, which was the key to unlimited cultural space.

“If Batswana could learn Spanish, that will be the key for them to penetrate the whole Spanish speaking countries in South America,” he said.

He said during his tenure, he would work towards the creation of a cooperation framework between the University of Botswana and one of the universities in Spain, to explore possibilities of having Spanish offered at UB.

The Norwegian ambassador will be based in Pretoria while her Spanish counterpart is resident in Namibia.ENDS