13 Nov 2022

Government remains committed to strengthening partnerships with the private sector in order to facilitate community development, says Vice President Slumber Tsogwane

Mr Tsogwane also said government was equally appreciative of the support of such cooperating partners as Orange Botswana in the development of the country in various areas of human endeavour.

Speaking at the official launch of the Orange Digital Centre in Gaborone on Friday, Mr Tsogwane said the centre was a digital ecosystem entirely dedicated to the development of digital skills and innovation.

He said the centre, which was the 12^th Orange Digital Centre in Africa and the Middle East, aims to train young people in digital technology and enhance their employability. 

He added that Botswana was following in the footsteps of Tunisia, Senegal, Ethiopia, Mali, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Madagascar, Morocco and Liberia.

“Orange Botswana’s act of generosity is worthy of our commendation and emulation as a nation.

As we continue this journey to bridge the digital divide with the support of our strategic partner, Orange Botswana, we are cognizant of our unwavering commitment to improved efficiency, productivity, economic growth and the well-being of society,” Mr Tsogwane said.

He said the deeds of Orange Botswana were a positive investment from a private entity contributing to nation building.

The Vice President said government had seen the impact of Orange’s strategy as a business as well as the social value and impact of Orange Botswana Foundation.

He noted their setting up of women’s digital centres in six locations around the country with the purpose of providing ICT literacy and micro-entrepreneurial skills training to women.

“We appreciate your digital school programme, which has been rolled out to 55 primary schools to date, donating 2 750 tablets and digitalising primary school learning material.

 My constituency is a beneficiary of such a noble initiative,” he said.

He said ensuring that Botswana was committed to becoming a knowledge-based economy where systems of production were founded on intellectual property was key.

Mr Tsogwane added that the use of and access to digital technology was no longer optional, and that digital inclusion and access were the path to achieving the promises made to positively impact the lives of citixens.

He said the launch of the Orange Digital Centre was a testament to the important contributions made by organisations such as Orange Botswana, adding that services provided at the centre would capacitate and up-skill the youth with digital skills as well as help develop their entrepreneurship acumen through coaching, mentoring and financial support.

Vice President Tsogwane also noted that the centre offered training in coding, digital fabrication, start-up acceleration, funding of start-ups as well as partnerships with learning institutions.

He also said services at the centre would be free and available to all Batswana leatners, out of school youth and budding entrepreneurs regardless of their academic qualifications.

He said the country was fortunate to have Orange Botswana as a partner as it had invested in people and advanced their prosperity, adding that the launch of the centre could not have come at a more opportune time as government continued to strive to provide young people with opportunities for gainful employment.

He appreciated the assistance and support of corporate entities such as Orange Botswana with specialised expertise in ICTs, adding that the digital centre would facilitate and empower Batswana youth with skills that enable them to contribute to the prosperity of their families, community and the nation.

He said the United Nations advocated for all nations to achieve universal connectivity by 2030 and that every person should have safe and affordable access to the Internet, including meaningful use of digitally enabled services.

However, Vice President Tsogwane lamented that in sub-Saharan Africa, only 25 per cent of people access mobile network coverage. 

He said almost half of the population could not utilise the Internet due to lack of skills or they simply could not afford smart gadgets. ENDS