28 Apr 2021

Francistown East Member of Parliament, Mr Buti Billy has informed his constituents that the envisaged re-opening of the Tati Nickel Mine, which was closed about five years ago because it did not make profit, would address challenges of unemployment.

Mr Billy, who is also the assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Culture Development, was responding to concerns of unemployment raised by residents during a kgotla meeting on Tuesday.

Mr Billy said the re-opening of the mine would improve the local economy since residents would lease out their houses to the mine employees.

He said the implementation of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Francistown was another project that would help alleviate unemployment and it would focus on mining and logistics.

Mr Billy shared that a plot had been identified near Phillip Matante International Airport to be used as a dry port because Francistown was strategically located as a transit point to the northern corridor.

He explained that government was concerned with lack of unemployment among the youth, saying the adoption of the Tourism Policy by Parliament in the last session would also help in alleviating shortage of employment in the country.

He said government realised that tourism, as the new engine of economic growth, had the potential to fight unemployment.

Mr Billy also informed the residents that Parliament had agreed to improve Ipelegeng programme as well as increase the Old Age pension allowance.

However, he said that would only be achieved when funds had been secured because COVID-19 had derailed government plans to develop Batswana.

Residents had complained about lack of employment and appealed for the increase of the Old Age pension allowance. Ends