09 Nov 2023

 There is need for government to cede responsibility from being a big events manager where ministry officials perform roles that should be done by promoters and private events management companies.

Responding to President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s State-of-the-Nation Address on Wednesday, the Leader of Opposition, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse said there was an outcry that officials of the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture dominated events, thereby depriving the youth a good opportunity of earning money from them.

Mr Keorapetse said young Batswana were making it on social media platforms, but their case was unlike elsewhere where many young content creators were earning a living from that.

He said most young content creators with large following were not able to adequately make money through companies that advertised on their platforms because the country did not have a payment gateway.

“We do not have an International Bank Account Number, which could be provided by Bank of Botswana. As such, the UDC will make s

ure that young people monetise social media content by accordingly amending our tax laws, cyber laws and anti-money laundering controls and making sure that all regulators are on top of their game to enable our young talented entrepreneurs to thrive in social media entrepreneurship,” he said.

 Mr Keorapetse also urged government to empower local communities by engaging them for major events that occurred within their vicinities and procure services from them.

On sport, Mr Keorapetse called on government to reinstate school sport as a matter of urgency, saying lack of it was killing sport in general.

He, therefore, called for corporate social investment law, which he said would entice companies to invest in sport.

On the health sector, Mr Keorapetse said it remained poorly resourced on personnel, equipment and medicines, adding that the rural masses still traveled far for basic services such as dialysis.

He said a UDC government would swiftly de-link health services conditions from the main public service and provide medical insurance scheme for all Batswana who do not have it.

“We commit to training more doctors locally and internationally, at least 50 specialists and 200 general practitioners annually,” he said.

He said despite agriculture being one of the mainstays of the economy, it was lamentable that it only got six per cent of the annual budget. 

This, according to Mr Keorapeste called for more funding towards the sector in line with the Malabo declaration and other international standards.

“If at all we are serious about improving livestock quality and herd quantity in the country, let us move to establish policies and laws that help Batswana subsistence farmers move to commercial ranchers.Farmers need access to affordable capital, infrastructure such as roads, electricity and water,” he said.

He said priority should be on making land more productive, which he said would in turn produce the raw materials required for a competitive production industry in rural area. ENDS