31 Jan 2023

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has enumerated positive developments taking place in Botswana despite setbacks resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

  Addressing a Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) oldies tea session in Kanye on Monday, he said even though the pandemic stalled some developmental projects and hampered the implementation of the BDP 2019 manifesto, the economy continued to experience positive growth.

   He said  government motivated the registration of Covaxin vaccine in Botswana to prepare the country for any eventuality. 

The vaccine’s registration would also boost the economy when other countries import it, said Dr Masisi.

The President said as part of government efforts to promote the use of technology to diversify the economy, a total of 100 solar hydro panels had been secured to produce water at the Lobu Farm. 

He said the technology, which entailed water production from the sky, was in line with the Reset Agenda objective of utilising advanced innovations for development.

Another development was the  introduction of a locally-developed system, dubbed Modisa, to replace the Botswana Animal Information and Traceability System used for animal identification, which would cut government expenses.

 “Botswana pays P10 million licence fee annually for the BAITS system and we are hopeful that the local system will come at a lower cost,” said Dr Masisi.

He urged more Batswana to exploit technology innovations and create wider markets for indigenous knowledge and plants such as peaches, which Kanye was well known for.

President Masisi also encouraged Batswana to explore  opportunities created by the Africa Free Trade Area agreement to penetrate more markets.

The President said Botswana Meat Commission prices had been increased from P42/kg to P45/kg with the objective to gradually increase it to at least P100/kg.

He said the presidential bull and small stock donation initiative was intended to motivate farmers and enhance both quality and quantity.

Still on agriculture, President Masisi said the Selebi Phikwe Citrus Project was expected to export at least 70 000 tonnes of fruits next year.

 “For the first time in the history of this country, the project will export at least 70 000 tonnes of fruits, as one way of diversifying the economy,” he said.

  The President implored Batswana to continue voting BDP since it had prioritised human life and national developments amidst challenges.

“Our party is organised and our promises are attainable. When COVID-19 hit, we instantly made a deliberate decision to save lives and prioritised securing vaccines over other demanding issues,” he said.

MP for Kanye South, Dr Lemogang Kwape said the President continued to successfully negotiate deals and secure markets for Botswana diamonds.

“It takes a dedicated and committed leader to negotiate such deals,” he said.

Dr Kwape announced plans for the construction of a hospital as well as a stadium in Kanye and also informed his audience that consultations with stakeholders were ongoing to find a permanent solution for the village’s water woes.

Mmatshitswane councillor, Mr Sebati Kabomo said the land board continued to allocate plots with 600 having been allocated in the past two weeks. Ends