26 Jan 2022

Brilliant ideas from young Batswana run the risk of duplication by fraudsters with financial power because they are not patented.

  This was said by Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism permanent secretary, Dr Oduetse Koboto at an Okavango is Calling breakfast meeting in Maun yesterday.

   He therefore called on Batswana to obtain patents for their brands and concepts to ensure no other person paraded them as their own.

It was imperative for every individual or entity with an original concept or product to copyright it, he stressed.

Dr Koboto described the Okavango is Calling concept as very unique in that it encompassed a plethora of events aimed at promoting the Okavango Delta throughout the year.

The brand, he said,  had a great potential to grow exponentially and should therefore be  safeguarded to prevent any theft.

Dr Koboto said the Okavango is Calling story was inspiring as it aimed to connect the delta with the rest of the world.

He pledged the ministry’s support for all events leading to Okavango is Calling cultural festival billed for September.

“When we promote and celebrate Botswana through numerous avenues, be it arts, music or events, there is only one beneficiary and that is Botswana,” he stated.

He said stakeholder and private sector involvement and engagement was critical to government’s efforts to resuscitate the tourism industry which had been ravaged by COVID-19.

Introducing the Okavango is Calling concept, Ghetto Urban Designs founder Mr Vincent Sebati said it was meant to celebrate the Okavango Delta as a World Heritage Site.

He said during the main event, an international exhibition slated for September, the essence of Okavango Delta would be celebrated through music, arts, photography, food and helicopter rides.

Mr Sebati stated that although international music legends from South Africa, US and Brazil had been invited, local artistes had not been sidelined as they would also be featured during the four-day exposition.

The expo, he said, would cultivate business in Maun and surrounding areas especially in the hospitality industry. 

Mr Sebati said as a World Heritage Site, the Okavango Delta had the potential to sell Botswana to the rest of the world.

The aim was to make Okavango is Calling the most sought after event in Africa, he said.

He revealed that his company presented a proposal to UNESCO in 2014 articulating the Okavango is Calling concept and its objectives.ends