15 Nov 2023

The Minister of Entrepreneurship has told Parliament that his ministry was in discussions with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development to incorporate business skills in the school syllabus, which he said would help instill the spirit of entrepreneurship at an early age. 

“In Botswana we need to train our youth to have mindset change in as far as business approach is concerned. 

We need youth who are bold to take business risks and are creative in order to cope in the competitive world of entrepreneurship,” he said. 

Mr Gare who was contributing to the State-of-the Nation Address (SONA) said the move could be assisted by building a culture of innovation, digital transformation as well as financial and business sector reforms among others. 

Mr Gare also said the tannery in Lobatse, which had been closed for some time due to its release of stench which was affecting the community, would soon be reopened after corrective measures were found to address the issue of stench. 

He said his ministry would also ensure that the tannery worked hand in hand with the leather park, a move he was confident would boost local production of leather products such as boots, aprons and others. 

Touching on his constituency, Mr Gare appreciated the planned Manyana-Moshupa road which he said had long been designed but was delayed due to funds having been redirected to other national priorities. 

He also called on government to tar, or at least constantly grade the Moshupa-Naledi road as it was vital to farmers along the route. 

“The road also connects villages such as Ralekgetho, Tshwaane, Pitseng and Moshana. It will help farmers in the area, who plough about 25 000 hectors annually to transport their produce to the market,” he said. 

He also said improvement of the said road would help make bowsing of water to Pitseng and Ralekgetho villages easy. 

Mr Gare also pleaded with government to act on the promise of relocating some residents of Manyana who have been allocated residential plots in an area with black cotton soil, and construction of a storm water drainage in Manyana and Moshupa. 

Other projects that Mr Gare appreciated in his constituency is the Moshupa stadium and the Moshupa primary hospital, which he said would improve access of heath services by the 58 000 constituents. 

  Toching on issues concerning his ministry, Mr Gare said the late payment to farmers in Ngamiland from  Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) as far back as May this year was due to some internal challenges which have since been rectified.

The minister rendered the apology to the farmers in Parliament, Tuesday, but indicated that the ministry had started paying the concerned farmers this week. 

The apology comes after the Member of Parliament for Ngami, Mr Caterpillar Hukuama had raised concerns in his contribution to the State-of-the- Nation Address, indicating that the issue affected the farmers financially. Ends