04 Jul 2021

Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) and Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) have collaborated to assist graduates through a graduate entrepreneurship programme

Speaking at the programme launch recently, Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security Mr Karabo Gare thanked LEA, for its commitment to collaborate with BUAN on the entrepreneurship and capacity development of the university’s graduates.

He said through LEA’s experience, he was hopeful that the 27 BUAN graduates, who will go through the programme, would become successful business people, who could provide employment for their fellow youths and other Batswana.

Mr Gare noted that BUAN graduates had been allocated pieces of land at the university to start up agricultural projects and thanked the university for the gesture.He said the graduates could start sustainable agriculture and natural resources enterprises, which could contribute to the reduction of the country’s import bill, noting that the programme was a great initiative, which would empower the youths to move away from being job seekers to being job creators. 

“It is a  welcome development, which will contribute towards the government of Botswana’s efforts to reduce the unemployment rate in the country, he said.

Mr Gare also said the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security was delighted about the involvement of the private sector in youth development, especially in the agriculture and natural resources sectors.

He said the NEO HUB collaboration between LEA and BUAN would contribute tremendously to the development of the youth, through training and mentorship in business and agri-tech.

He said, the ministry had allocated P3 million to BUAN for the financial year 2021/22, revealing that the ministry also had several other project facilities around the country that could benefit the programme. ends