01 May 2024

Creating employment for Batswana, especially the youth and achieving high-income status by 2036 is a priority for the government of Botswana, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Lemogang Kwape has said.

Dr Kwape was speaking in an interview ahead of President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s three-legged working visit to Boston, New York and Dallas, Texas in United States of America.

Dr Masisi’s visit kick-started in Boston where he participated in the Legatum Centre for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management conference held under the theme: Innovation in Global Growth Markets: Prosperity Through Entrepreneurship”.

He gave a keynote address on how technology acts as a catalyst in advancing development and ensuring continued prosperity in growth markets.

Dr Kwape said Botswana would use the opportunity to learn numerous nuggets of wisdom from the conference and the institution, which was among the top thought leaders in the world in the entrepreneurial space.

He  said Botswana stood to benefit substantially from agreements such as the African Continental Free Trade Area if it collaborated with like-minded partners and institutions.

He said the second leg of the trip, which would take President Masisi to New York, would further enhance bilateral relations between Botswana and The Bahamas as the Heads of State for the two nations would discuss pertinent bread and butter issues to impact the lives of the citizenry positively.

The final leg of President Masisi and his entourage will be in Dallas, Texas, at the US-Africa Business Summit, which according to Dr Kwape presents an opportunity to advance Botswana’s economic interests in the US in such sectors as the digitisation of Botswana’s economy, health, agri-business, value addition of natural resources as well as transport and communications.

Mr Kwape’s words were echoed by the Minister of Entrepreneurship, Mr Karabo Gare, who said MIT’s vision resonated well with President Masisi’s Reset Agenda, especially the idea to leverage technology and knowledge to improve the lives of Batswana.

Mr Gare said Botswana’s mission at the MIT was essentially to learn from the best and fast track her quest to achieve high-income status by 2036 by leveraging innovation to promote an export-led economy. The First Lady, Neo Masisi, cabinet ministers and other senior government officials are accompanying the President. ENDS