04 Sep 2019

Botswana is ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Ms Bogolo Kenewendo has said.

In an interview ahead of the 28th World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa starting in Capetown on September 4, Minister Kenewendo said Botswana was on the right track towards leap frogging into a digitalised economy.

“Our readiness to jumping into 4IR is further buttressed by our intention as government to have a more specific ministry that deals with ICT and development next year,” she stated. Botswana,  she said, was currently realigning strategies on how best to harness and forge ahead towards the desired knowledge-based economy.

She said since young people were at the centre of the revolution, government had started roping them into the process and had  begun involving those already in the digital space.

“At cabinet level we are also thinking on how we can develop Botswana and this calls for tapping into intellectual property and ensuring that the person remains more relevant in a digitalised economy,” she said. Ms Kenewendo said Botswana was about ensuring that vulnerable community members were not left behind and that more people were pulled into the digital economy.

She said cellular phone usage should impact positively on both offline and online users by allowing  them to deliver last mile solutions with or without internet connectivity. The minister said government was working on a number of building blocks to better serve the Botswana Fiber Networks.

“There are several other aspects that could work for us in improving connectivity by partnering with private sector to come up with solutions that can help Batswana to tap into various opportunities that are in the digital space,” she said.

Botswana would be attending the 28th WEF Africa with several African countries to learn how best they were working towards a more inclusive economy.

The summit, which President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi will attend, provides a platform for Botswana to engage with governments, businesses, academia and civil society, with a view to explore how Africa can leverage on strategic partnerships, as well as innovation and technology, to drive inclusive growth and development.

The summit, scheduled for September 4-6, is held under the theme, ‘Shaping Inclusive Growth and Shared Futures in the Fourth Industrial Revolution’.Deliberations would be within the context of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 regional strategic priorities and include areas such as innovation to look into enhancing readiness for 4IR, trade cooperation, sustainable development and environmental stewardship, growth focusing on digitalisation and competitive industries as well as stability focusing on leadership and institutional governance.

Meanwhile, President Masisi  is scheduled to deliver a keynote address under the theme ‘Investing for Inclusive Growth in Botswana’, at a side event organised by Botswana Investment and Trade Centre in collaboration with Deloitte Africa.President Masisi, who arrived here yesterday, is accompanied by ministers Mr Nonofo Molefhi, Mr Thapelo Olopeng and Mr Kefentse Mzwinila for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology as well as Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services respectively. ends