12 Jan 2025

Boteti region, with its abundant resources, should be developed  into an economic engine of Botswana.

As such, it was necessary to strategise the elevation of the region’s economy, the area MP, Mr Keoagile Atamelang said  in kgotla meetings in Mokubilo and Makgaba recently.

The MP said he was planning to establish Boteti Development Fund, with mines operating in the area contributing one per cent of their profits to the fund.

Mr Atamelang who is the Assistant Minister of Transport and Infrastructure said Mmatshumo, Mosu, Mokubilo, Mmeya and Makgaba should use their natural resources to generate income. He said Morama wild fruit was abundant in Mokubilo and Makgaba and could be used for production of peanut butter and oil.

The project he said, could   create employment opportunities. The MP said the new government was committed to grow the economy and create employment opportunities through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He further said as the new government, they had made a decision to conduct forensic audit on public expenditure. The Boteti legislator said all entities utilising public funds  such as Village Development Committees (VDCs) and Trusts were expected to produce their financial reports.

For his part, Makgaba VDC Chairperson, Mr Monthusi Onthumile expressed concern that they relied heavily on Mokubilo as most of the services were sourced from the village.

He further decried lack of employment opportunities in Makgaba saying they only depended on Ipelegeng. Mr Onthumile called for support to enable residents to venture into fish farming to utilise wells in the village. The village was experiencing a human-wildlife conflict and Mr Onthumile said they were terrorised by elephants. ENDS