20 Nov 2022

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s government is proactive in creation of jobs, poverty reduction and citizen empowerment as expressed in the State of the Nation Address.

In his contribution to the debate, Thursday, Mochudi East MP, Mr Mabuse Pule said the President through a number of policies and initiatives such as the Economic Inclusion Act was making efforts to solve the socio-economic challenges facing Batswana.

The Act aims to ensure economic inclusion and meaningful participation of targeted citizens in the development and growth of the economy.

He said initiatives to promote agriculture by upgrading the Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agricultural Development (ISPAAD) to the envisaged Temo Letlotlo agricultural programme was a welcome development that would empower Batswana.

Mr Pule, also the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development noted that government had over the past two years worked hard to cushion Batswana from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with fewer deaths per capita than most countries around the world.

Stating that the Kgatleng District had great tourist potential, Mr Pule implored the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to assist the district to tap into its rich history, culture and landscape to boost tourism activity which could add to the economic activity in the area.

He said his constituency was suffering recurring power outages which often caused damage to home appliances and were a major inconvenience to businesses.

He was hopeful that the investigation launched by the Botswana Power Corporation would remedy the situation.

He called on the Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology to assist with the requisite infrastructure to address the challenges of telephone connections from all major networks.

He said it was ideal that a sub-district be centered at Mmathubudukwane to service the river villages as well as villages further up north in the Kgatleng District such as Oliphant’s Drift and Ramotlabaki to decentralise services from Mochudi.

He said the Reset Agenda in particular Mind Set Change called for different ways of doing things as illustrated by upgrading of sub-districts into fully fledged districts to enhance service delivery to the constituents.

He said the revamped Ipelegeng aims to invest in training to help people graduate from poverty.

Mr Pule said roads in his constituency were in a poor state and were an impediment to farmers trying to access markets as well as transportation of people engaged in their daily activities.

He said provision of better health services could be improved by upgrading clinics to include midwifery services and availing more doctors and nurses. ENDS