03 Jul 2023

Batswana should ensure they benefit from their indigenous knowledge by providing services and products that are definable, sellable and protectable.

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said during a consultative meeting with residents of Takatokwane on Friday that it was high time  Batswana took pride in using their knowledge to earn a living by benefiting from something that could not be taken away from them in a more professional manner.

President Masisi said since intellectual property gave an inventor exclusive rights to their invention, it was a good starting point for protecting the products and services invented through their indigenous knowledge that may in turn be a catalyst for job creation.

“Patenting your products and services such as letsoku, thobega and go baa diphogwana would lend yourselves to exporting these commodities that you have generated to more lucrative markets, the same way others have done in our markets,” said President Masisi.

He said exploiting services and products using indigenous knowledge further contributed to the aspiration of becoming a knowledge-based economy.

On other issues, President Masisi encouraged residents to optimise benefits that came along with government initiatives to improve the beef sector.

He said the recent cattle consignment from America should be fully utilised to improve the quality of their herds into a viable, competitive and profitable undertaking that would be used to exploit the sector’s value chains.

“I want us to transform the beef industry and I urge you to become the main players and in turn improve your livelihoods,” he said.

Dr Masisi told the residents that the high breed cattle from America were purchased to enhance the genetics of cattle across the country, adding that they should utilise the artificial insemination centres to improve the quality of their animals.

Regarding development projects, he said government was struggling to finance all of them, but noted that some would be implemented under the Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP).

He said P21 billion had been earmarked for some infrastructure projects to support economic activities, especially roads and urged Batswana contractors to fully participate in such.

President Masisi also implored residents to be patient as the bulk of government coffers was used to sustain livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic by procuring vaccines and putting in place some measures meant to contain the virus, such as the state of public emergency.

Further, he reiterated that government would continue upholding the democratic principle of consultation and said, going forward, heads of departments should come forth to answer members of communities on burning issues.

The President said as leaders, they needed to give communities explanations, the reason he was accompanied by some Cabinet Ministers.

He acknowledged that government was alive to a plethora of problems that affected rural communities including cross-cutting issues of land allocation, water supply, employment creation and crime, especially stock theft.

Meanwhile, Kgosi Viscos Tsiane of Takatokwane praised First Lady, Ms Neo Masisi for joining hands with dikgosi and other stakeholders at community level in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV).

He said her campaign against GBV had made the work for dikgosi a lot easier as they were the main mediators at community level.

Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson, Ms Mmanora Mokoma appealed to government to increase numbers of Ipelegeng beneficiaries as well as the VDC allowance.

MP for Takatokwane, Mr Tshoganetso Leuwe commended government for including the Kaudwane-Letlhakeng road under the TNDP projects and the envisaged alternative main road that connects Takatokwane, Salajwe, Sorilatholo and Sojwe.

Takatokwane residents expressed gratitude for Botswana Police Service’ KgomoKhumo unit as a step in the right direction for fighting stock theft.

They begged government to intervene in some cases where bail was granted to habitual criminals who banked on their financial muscle to escape imprisonment. Ends