16 Dec 2019

Minister of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development has announced resignation from the executive position he held in his companies.

Mr Mpho Balopi stated recently during a meet and greet session with Business Botswana and other private sector business organisations that his position as a minister required him to act responsibly and not abuse his powers.

He said being at the helm of such a critical ministry, he was mandated to act impartially as an adjudicator in awarding work and residential permits and therefore could not out-compete the private sector while serving as a minister.

Having worked for Business Botswana in the past, Minister Balopi said he was excited to work with them again under the stewardship of the labour ministry, noting that together, they could transform the country’s economy.

Mr Balopi expressed hope that they would be able to assist each other grow business possibilities and improve value chains, not only in Botswana, but regionally through cooperation between Business Botswana, the private sector and the ministry,

He urged Business Botswana and the private sector to join hands in accelerating the knowledge-based agenda and other transformation strategies for Batswana to grow their businesses.

He said with the caliber of MPs Botswana had, many of whom were youth, they would strive to ensure that the country was open to business and foreign direct investment opportunities.

The minister stated that he had noted the challenges encountered with procurement of work and residential permits that impeded on skills import.

“It is important that we deal with these issues to improve efficiency, productivity and cost overruns,” the minister said.

He urged Business Botswana and the private sector to work aggressively with government to position themselves for greater transactions with high social and economic impact and for the private sector to work together with government to align the constitution, policy reforms and reviews for ease of doing business.

Describing the current landscape, the minister noted that acquisition and procurement structures in the country were prone to corruption and would have to be restructured for ease of doing business.

When addressing matters related to the issuance of work permits, the minister said the ministry would endeavour to improve turnaround times with a targeted 14 days for the assessment and approval of permits.

Mr Charles Siwawa of Business Botswana appealed to the minister to prioritise the private sector as a key driver in job creation. Ends