14 Mar 2019

In line with President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s concept of transition from resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kenneth Matambo has implored the public service to develop a culture of innovation and research in the workplace.

Officiating at the ministry’s sixth performance awards ceremony in Gaborone on March 12, Mr Matambo said the research should involve transforming knowledge into new products, processes, or services, which when exported and or sold locally, would contribute to a knowledge economy.

He said in order to achieve this, there was need for agile public servants who strive for continuous improvement at both professional and personal level.

“Transition from resource-based economy will require us to change the way we develop and manage our human capital. We are challenged as a government and as a ministry to provide an enabling environment that will support the realisation of a knowledge-based public service, and the growth of a knowledge-based economy and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals,” said Mr Matambo.

He also said there was need for ministry and other sectors to develop the capabilities for selecting relevant information, recognising patterns in information, interpreting and decoding information to make a meaning out of it.

“As such, the importance of statistical information cannot be overlooked as it is part of the knowledge assets that have become a key driver of knowledge economy,” said the minister.

In this regard, he said Statistics Botswana had started sharing data with key stakeholders, as evidenced by several Memoranda of Understanding they signed last year with organisations such as the University of Botswana, the Ministry of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development and the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security.

He said the collaboration should be encouraged, as it would go a long way in improving timeliness, quality and accessibility of statistical data to inform policy development and decision making.

“I therefore wish to encourage all our departments and parastatal organisations to strengthen value adding partnerships with relevant stakeholders so that they could learn from one another,” said Mr Matambo.

The awards were celebrated under the theme; Realising sustainable Development Goals through a Knowledge-Based and Innovative Public Service, which Mr Matambo said was opportune, given that the world was experiencing challenges that threatened sustainable development, thus necessitating countries to diversify their sources of economic growth from being resource-based to being knowledge-based. ENDS