07 Dec 2023

The 5th Edition of the Kusi Ideas Festival started on a high note yesterday, with a keynote address by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, followed by presidential roundtable, sub-themed: The Journey to 2063.

Wrapping up events of the first day of the festival, in an interview, Nation Media Group (NMG) Newsroom Productions managing editor, Mr James Smart expressed gratitude that the presidential roundtable, which was moderated by Ethiopia’s Trade and Development Bank Group president emeritus and managing director, Mr Admassu Tadesse, set a good tone for the day.

“We’ve had obviously a great opening by President Masisi and what we managed to pick out from the high-level presidential panel was that African Union’s Agenda 2063 goals and aspirations are achievable and the political leadership is cognizant of that,” he said.

“We’ve had fair good examples that happened today between Botswana and Zimbabwe, saying that it should be possible now for Batswana and Zimbabweans to move without passports between the two nations, which is a big thing, and the same with Zimbabweans to Uganda,” he added.

This, Mr Smart said was why Kusi existed; ‘to bring this kind of people together, so that these kind of things happen. It brings this free movement of people.’

He applauded President Masisi and President Mnangagwa, saying their decision had proved that embracing free movement of people, goods and services within the African continent was a good step in the right direction for African countries to join hands and work as a collective to change the continent and make their dream come true.

“For us, that’s a very big thing, and it’s a good thing. I think it’s a headliner for what has happened today.

Away from that, we’ve had good discussions on this question of free movement of people, and the bottlenecks around it. Most importantly, the opportunities as well,” he added.

He also expressed delight that another highlight of the first day of the festival, was that the entire continent had an opportunity to watch and listen to the discussion online and appreciate the progress and possible solutions to addressing some of the challenges faced by Africa.

“So in many ways, we have headquartered Botswana as a capital in its own right, with its own ideas, its own people and service and goods and things to tell the continent.

My expectation of this is that many young people, from across the continent, should come and visit here, work with other businesses and young people here to understand what is it that Botswana has to offer for them,” said Mr Smart.

Mr Smart said it was possible for Africa to eventually have a common market and one currency, once it had successfully achieved the free movement of people, free movement of goods and free movement of services,

By agreeing to host the 5th Kusi Ideas Festival, the first festival in Southern Africa, Mr Smart said President Masisi projected to the rest of Africa that Botswana was a country open to everyone, ‘more especially we fellow Africans.’

“The gesture, alone, is saying it’s possible for Africans to come here and do business here and live here, but also possible for ideas from Botswana to travel far and reach the continent.

And the fastest way, the best way to do it is for people to know each other.

And so Botswana is open for business.

That, I think, is the message because of the receptiveness of accepting host this festival,” he added. Ends