13 Sep 2023

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi intends  to engage The Bahamas to make the country better understand Botswana’s position and proposals on wildlife management especially elephants.

At the 2022 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) CoP19, The Bahamas and other countries from across the Americas were not in support of Botswana’s stance on sustainable use of wildlife resources.

Speaking during a brief media engagement upon arrival in the Bahamian city of Nassau, Dr Masisi said he would engage  The Bahamas Prime Minister, Mr Phillip Davis on the challenges Botswana faced at CITES.

“I would particularly explain the unique challenges that Botswana faces which may not be understood easily when you come from an Island state like Bahamas which doesn’t have any elephants I’m told. But we happen to be home to the largest herd of elephants in the world,” he said.

President Masisi said the problems that came with being home to the largest population of elephants in the world might not be easily understood hence he vowed to lobby the Caribbean nation to appreciate Botswana’s challenges.

“Which problems when we escalate to CITES are also not easily understood because unfortunately many would perceive elephants to be unique pets but we would also like to share the burden of keeping them. One of the things that we do is we offer elephants for free to those who would want them,” he added.

Dr Masisi said they offered those who wanted to keep them as long as they kept the elephants under conditions which Botswana prescribed because they were best kept in Botswana and was no accident that the largest herd count was in Botswana. The next conference of parties CoP20 is anticipated in 2025.

Dr Masisi paid a courtesy call on the Governor General of The Bahamas, Ms Cynthia Alexandria Pratt. 

He said the three-day state visit to The Bahamas was an opportunity to expand and deepen the two nations’ bilateral ties which started in 2006.

“We are going to rejuvenate that and be focusing on areas of mutual interest,” he said. 

He added that Botswana and The Bahamas would enhance relations in areas of tourism, financial services, agriculture, education and health. 

Dr Masisi said digitisation was one of the priorities of his administration as was of The Bahamas. 

He said the two nations sought to modernise their economies to leapfrog and get ahead of challenges they faced. Ends