25 Jan 2022

 It is important to measure and grow the contribution of transport and communications sectors to the country’s economy, says Mr Thulagano Segokgo.

Addressing staff in Mahalapye on Monday, the transport and communications minister said the ministry should look into ways of growing the two sectors which he said contributed immensely to the economy.

“We must grow the transport sector, whether it’s the aviation, rail or our own local transporters and trucks. That’s the sort of thing that should drive what we do,” said the minister.

He was speaking during a dinner held to set the tone for the ministry’s three-day retreat meant to reflect on its mandate, service delivery and performance improvement by taking into account client feedback as well as to chart the way forward.

Mr Segokgo said, “It is important for an organisation, such as ours, to reflect on how we are doing our business and as we are doing so, identify where to start, pause or continue. When we see that we are not doing something right or it’s not giving us the results that we desire, we must take a bold decision to stop doing it and start afresh to do it right”.

As a ministry that facilitated doing business and enabling other economic pillars, he said it was imperative to recess and consider aligning with government priorities outlined under the Reset Agenda.

Minister Segokgo reminded the officers that the bulk of their job entailed facilitating and creating an enabling environment for other sectors to deliver their mandates through appropriate and relevant communication and infrastructure.

The ministry, he noted, needed to ensure every necessary platform for communication was availed and functional in order to save Botswana’s population from COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister Segokgo expressed gratitude that through continuous improvement of its services,  the ministry managed to ensure that meetings and other e-communication were not disrupted by the unfavourable circumstances brought about by COVID-19.

He stressed the need for President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s roadmap, including the transformational agenda, to be mainstreamed in  government’s implementation machinery.

Minister Segokgo said for that to be achieved, a functional communication infrastructure was necessary.

He said that was why government had decided to digitise the economy as digitisation had an immense potential to unlock and enable high productivity.

The minister said value chain development would also help unlock opportunities for new, high-growth businesses and youth employment.

Initial sectors of focus, he said, would be minerals, tourism, food and education.

Mr Segokgo said government also intended to identify new sectors in the global export product space that could be successfully grown in Botswana in order to  foster job creation for youth while also driving the much-needed export diversification.

The minister also emphasised the importance of mindset change, as it would result in self-actualisation among Batswana and help the country achieve its goal of attaining high income country status.

“We cannot remain locked in the thinking of the unproductive times and expect to escape the middle income trap. 

This comes with developing capacity for entrepreneurship, eliminating our inferiority complex, and implementing government and strategic reforms that put citizen economic inclusion at the center of our economic development initiatives,” he said.

He encouraged the ministry leadership to focus on critical and fundamental areas of delivery such as road infrastructure projects, Air Botswana business, Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana facilitation, Department of Road Transport and Safety processes, fuel management, Department of Information Technology turnaround game plan and government online timelines.

In his welcome remarks, ministry permanent secretary, Mr Jimmy Opelo commended the  staff for displaying the spirit of resilience, perseverance and focus in the face of COVID-19 challenges.

Mr Opelo encouraged the retreat attendants to be open and frank during deliberations and to ensure discussions and recommendations were cascaded to those not in attendance.

“What we are going to plan here, is what we are going to execute and cascade. So, this workshop must bring the best out of each one of us. It must unleash our potential,” he said.

He said the retreat should be considered as an opportunity to review set objectives. 

“This is the time where hard decisions and choices have to be made and committed for us to deliver on our mandate. We must boldly say certain things must stop and or improve on those that can be improved,” he said.

Mr Opelo lamented that the ministry had become synonymous with corruption due to procrastination, poor supervision, negligence of responsibilities and failure to follow set procedures. 

He therefore urged the leadership to focus on their responsibilities to ensure efficient delivery of the ministry’s mandate.

ends