08 Mar 2020

Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr Thapelo Matsheka says government will accelerate implementation of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), including the Lobatse Leather Park, to transform the economy.

Speaking during the Lobatse constituency stakeholder meeting on March 5, Dr Matsheka, who is also the area MP for Lobatse, explained that government would focus developments along the SEZs due to their potential to create jobs and assist in the economic transformation process.

“We have agreed with the minister responsible to accelerate the SEZ implementation plan. We have asked that they look at efficiencies and how best they can linkage projects because SEZs has been on the table for some time,” Dr Matsheka said.

He revealed that government had allocated P400 million for the project, adding that the Local Enterprise Agency would spearhead its implementation.

The coordinator of the project, Mr Lesitamang Paya, said he was pleased that implementation was gathering momentum because people were complaining that the project was taking too long to get off the ground.

“Cabinet in December 2019 approved the funding and business model for the project. All the three funding requirements being the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), design and the bill of contractors have been done. We are now expediting the implementation process because many people are waiting for the project,” Mr Paya said when giving an update of the project.

He added that construction would be carried out in three phases due to the specialised nature and complexity of the project.

He said the phases were fencing, major civil works and buildings as well as machinery and technologies. He said the phases would be done in parallel to speed up the process.
Mr Paya further said that there was significant progress on skills development around operations of the leather park.

“We have consulted with institutions of high learning and technical and vocational training because the leather park is going to require the leather technologists and the artisans. Two institutions, BUAN (Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources) and Botho University, have designed training programmes for capacitating people,” he said.

Dr Matsheka explained that the aim of the constituency stakeholder meeting was to get updates on projects.

“We want to hold each and every stakeholder accountable. The people of this town want developments and employment and it is my duty as MP to ensure accountability,” he said.

He further said he wanted to get feedback on the quality of projects in the town’s urban development plan.

“Any type of planning for this town should have an outcome strategy in terms of development and social inclusion,” he said.

Dr Matsheka further told the meeting that government was in the process of resolving problems at Botswana Meat Commission. He said it included paying farmers who were owed large amounts of money.

“We have opened the borders for people to export cattle while we sort out BMC.

That will be until end of March, but is also dependent on whether BMC is ready to pay the right price to farmers,” he said. ENDS