19 May 2022

Botswana’s heads of diplomatic mission and foreign envoys accredited to Botswana have been commended for their role in advancing the country’s interests in the global space. Speaking to the diplomats at their consultative forum yesterday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi expressed his appreciation and profound gratitude for their relentless commitment to serving the country. 

“I would like to thank Botswana’s envoys abroad and those accredited to Botswana, for their contribution to the development of the country…in material ways and none material ways, and I would like to thank you for your support over time; I am also thankful for your solidarity with Botswana as friends to this nation,” he said. 

Dr Masisi said it was apt to applaud the envoys for their role particular on the backdrop of the challenges created by the COVID 19 pandemic, during which Botswana’s partners and diplomatic missions were instrumental in facilitating procurement of vaccines for the disease. 

“We are as a nation are grateful to the World Health Organisation and the African Union for stepping up to assist Botswana in the fight against the pandemic, and thanks to multilateralism that we were able to engage diplomatically in addressing the scare caused by the pandemic,” he said. 

When delivering closing remarks, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Ms Mmamosadinya Molefe said she was hopeful that as the summit came to an end, it had provided the envoys with the tools to chart the path for the Reset agenda. 

“We have had a healthy diversity of ideas and opinions on how to re-position the Ministry to truly add value to Botswana’s developmental agenda. And we have also interrogated how best to navigate the complex global environment such that we derive optimal benefit for our country,” she said. Ms Molefe reaffirmed the envoys’ commitment to consultative approaches as a way of enhancing efficiency and flow of communication. 

“It is a key point that our diplomatic missions abroad are not self-serving, but are there as Botswana’s outstations for the purpose of promoting the country’s economic and social development through international partnerships,” she said. 

Ms Molefe said it was thus equally critical that the envoys continued to find more structured ways of enhancing meaningful engagement with the business community and wider public in Botswana, adding the nation increasingly depended on the them to proactively protect and promote their interests abroad. She thus challenged them to consider Vision 2036 to be their compass as they interacted, and to strive to expand friendships and partnerships with the international community. Ms Molefe also urged them to be relentless in strengthening Botswana’s political influence and opening up the economic space for local businesses. ends