11 Sep 2023

India has been resourceful in assisting Botswana in medical and education fields.

Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Mr Tumiso Rakgare ssaid this at a reception ceremony for Mr Kabo Gofenyamang, a Choppies staff member and Master of Business Administration (MBA) recipient recently.

He said there had been endless efforts by the Indian government to better the lives of Batswana in all aspects.

“The public service for instance is a beneficiary of trainings by the Indian government. These have helped shape our public officers positively and given them skills to develop the country,” he said.

He said Mr Gofenyamang benefitted from a scholarship provided by the Indian High Commissioner’s office to the public and had completed a coursein MBA from the University of Ravenshaw Cuttack in India.

The scholarship is an effort by Choppies management to advance training and development for its staff through the Indian Council for the cultural relations programme.

Mr Rakgare said Gofenyamang’s feat was a moment of pride for Botswana’s economy and was the kind of mindset change everyone had to adopt.

“We can only attain high income status if we do so. You took a leap of faith to become an embodiment of mindset change. To Choppies, investing in young people for HR management is commendable,” he said.

For his part, India High Commissioner, Mr Bharath Kuthati said the beneficiary was given assurance of rejoining his family with better skills and a lot of experience.

Mr Kuthati said India had enjoyed strong relationship with Botswana in areas of capacity building and skill development.

He urged Choppies staff and Batswana to take advantage of the generosity of the Indian government and pursue further studies.

“Apart from scholarships, there is self-financing at affordable costs. We have set up a dedicated portal for that arrangement to ease convenience for those willing to study,” he said.

Choppies head of human resource, Mr Molatedi Kgotla said Mr Gofenyamang was a product of Choppies graduate trainee programme.

Mr Kgotla said they welcomed him after successfully completing his academic programme and was instantly promoted to Choppies trainee regional manager.

“His achievement reflects mindset change drive. Graduates must upskill and retool. Job readiness and employability are vital and a topic to discuss. The job market is dynamic and fluid thus it is important to look for opportunities to further studies,” he added.

Accepting the token of appreciation, Mr Gofenyamang said it was a lasting impression for him to be offered such an opportunity.

He applauded the invaluable support by government and India through the academic cooperation.

He related his Indian experience through his academic journey.

“I have since advanced to a position of greater responsibility and I will apply my knowledge in return,” he said. Ends