30 Jan 2022

Poverty eradication projects that collapsed and those that fail to do well is a concern as the beneficiaries may have to be re-considered for government handout, hence stakeholders collective efforts is crucial in assisting beneficiaries to overcome challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs Governance and Public Administration, Mr Dumezweni Mthimkhulu has said.

Speaking during the official opening of the poverty eradication workshop in Gaborone, Thursday, Mr Mthimkhulu said ‘it is therefore essential that as stakeholders, we dialogue and develop holistic, simple and workable solutions that could address COVID-19 challenges that will enable beneficiaries to co-exist with the situation and generate their own income for continuous improved livelihoods.’

The workshop was aimed at discussing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on poverty eradication projects across the country, especially implementation of projects as movement restrictions hampered  interact with beneficiaries.

Mr Mthimkhulu outlined that the implementation hinged upon steps that required intense human interaction including mobilisation, assessment, profiling as well as training and packaging among others, which was not possible due to the pandemic.

The assistant minister said the need for social distancing also made it difficult to package new beneficiaries, adding that some of the existing projects also faced a difficult time as they had no market due to the restrictions, which led to some businesses collapsing and beneficiaries are struggling to restart.

He urged the business community to join hands with the government in ensuring that local products were afforded better market access opportunities that would lead to the growth of their businesses.

Mr Mthimkhulu further highlighted that since the inception of Poverty Eradication Programme, the country had made tremendous progress in the fight against abject poverty.
He said the programme did not only address poverty related but it also brought some services closer to the people particularly in rural areas. ENDS