18 Dec 2019

The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism is considering to widen the scope of the tourism sector by exploring other sub sectors.

Debating the State-Of-Nation-Address (SONA) on Tuesday, Specially elected MP Ms Phildah Kereng, also the tourism minister said the industry had more unexplored prospects that could create employment.

To this effect, she said United Nations World Tourism Organisation would assist in skills packaging of the different sub sectors of tourism that Batswana may venture into citing cultural tourism as well as arts and crafts.

Ms Kereng emphasised the need to grow community based natural resource management given its potential to benefit communities.

With regards to human-wildlife conflict, she said the ministry would improve its response time for the public to be assisted promptly.

“We also intend to improve our public relations so that the public is informed about services offered by the ministry,” she said

Ms Kereng further stated that the ministry would host National Adaptation Expo to showcase what the country was doing with regards to environmental protection, an initiative which she said had the potential to attract Batswana to tap into the sector.

She said Botswana had so far done well in environmental protection and that climate policy was envisaged to be discussed in the next sitting of Parliament.

Meanwhile MP for Tlokweng, Mr Thulagano Segokgo said he would update Parliament about the preliminary report as to what could have caused the train accident which claimed two lives. He said the report was expected by the end of the week.

Mr Segokgo said the Qatar Airways flights to Botswana would serve the tourism sector while the diamond industry would be served well.

“It provides freight capabilities that initially we did not have as a country,” he said.

Mr Segokgo further said while he had noted concerns by most MPs for construction of some roads, the economic priorities and other factors were the main impediments.

“We wish we could in the term of the 12th Parliament develop all these roads into standards that honourable members’ desire. However, resources are always the limitation,” he said.

Mr Segokgo further said the roads department was not coping in terms of the capacity of the projects under them.

He said some of the projects such as Dibete/Mookane/Machaneng roads were at the implementation stage and at 73 per cent against 83 per cent as of November 2019.

He said the Mabeleapudi/Tshimoyapula and Serule project was awarded in March 2018 and progress was at 53 per cent against the expected 73 per cent as at the end of October.

Mr Segokgo said the site for Thalamabele/Mosu 28km road had been handed to the contractor on February and that progress was at 50 per cent as at November 2019.

He expressed worry about road accidents which had claimed 432 lives since January to date, adding that the number might increase during the extended festive holidays.

He also said the Department of Road Transport and Safety was also overwhelmed with queues for services they offered.

He said despite efforts to notify the public about the expiry of their documents and flagging of vehicles as well as providing such services through Botswana Post, it had not assisted much.

He said the department was considering to provide self-service for such in the next financial year, funds permitting.

Mr Segokgo said the ministry was working on improving the national cybersecurity strategy to provide for secure cyberspace in Botswana.

He said the draft strategy would be submitted to cabinet for approval soon.

With regards to Tlokweng Constituency, he said Tlokweng was growing at an alarming rate, given its proximity to the city.

He said there was a need to upgrade one of the clinics into a primary hospital in order to relieve pressure at Princes Marina Hospital which he said would also serve the villages in the locality such as Modipane.

He said one of the two junior schools should be upgraded into secondary school to provide for the growing constituency of learners.

Mr Segokgo said Metlhabeng and Letlapeng also required the construction of bitumen roads to facilitate taxis and combi services to the wards, which at the moment were not provided.

He said street lightning was also necessary for the nine wards of Tlokweng. ENDS