19 Nov 2020

Government is working round the clock to ensure the resuscitation of the multipurpose co-operative society.

In his State-of-the-Nation Address debate Mmadinare Member of Parliament, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi, said the rejuvenation of the co-operative society was a priority to the government due to their significant contribution to the economy yesteryear.

 Mr Molebatsi, who is also the Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, said co-operatives had in the past endeavoured to provide their members with services that were affordable and created a reasonable surplus for growth and development.

 Such enterprises, he said provided different portfolios in livestock marketing, retail business and credits schemes all of which promoted the spirit of community self-sustenance. 

Both the social and economic goals were considered when co-operatives were formed hence they continued to fulfil the void in remote and isolated places.

He stated that the new proposed co-operatives model would certify that such enterprises had the potential to act as growth points for agro-business, which would further enhance economic activities within the agricultural sector and add value on primary goods produced by the farming community.

He said the current low levels of household savings in Botswana were worrisome, observing that the promotion of institutional savings and credit co-operatives would continue to be intensified as they played an important role.

He, however, voiced his disappointment at some co-operative societies which collapsed in the past primarily due to poor management and lack of unaccountability. 

Mr Molebatsi further applauded government efforts towards the empowerment of citizens through public procurement, saying the move would reduce the country’s import bill.

 He said the government imposed restrictions on the importation of some products through the Control of Goods, Prices and Other Charges Act, which he said was a welcomed development towards the promotion of locally produced goods.

Mr Molebatsi said implementation of the regulations would promote the competitiveness and sustainability of local products and further stimulate investment in other sectors which would, in turn, lead to job creation and poverty reduction.

 The Assistant Minister urged the government to speed up implementing the commitment of utilising coal reserves for a new coal-to-liquid (CTL) refinery which would see the county producing synthetic fuel.

He said Botswana, had some of Africa’s largest coal reserves, which could be fully utilised to create jobs for the youth.

About his constituency issues, Mr Molebatsi implored government to construct the Mmadinare-Tonota road to reduce traffic congestion along the A1 highway to Francistown, adding that government should also consider the construction of other roads that lead to the Tuli area.

 The area, he said had the potential to contribute immensely to the country’s tourism and agribusiness sectors.

 He further applauded government for putting an end to water woes in his constituency as the area is poised to undergo water reticulation upgrade. Ends