22 Oct 2025

 Serowe District Council (SDC) has revived its twinning agreement with the city of Jiuiang in China, with the aim of enhancing its income generation.

The partnership was initiated in 2012 but faltered few years ago because of COVID-19 and global lockdowns.

The agreement was revived last week when the Chinese delegation paid a courtesy visit to the SDC and discussed the roadmap and further identified key focus areas for the arrangement.

Addressing the delegation, SDC chairperson Mr Atamelang Thaga described the twinning agreement as a significant advancement with  the  capability to enhance the district’s economy and enable them to access the immense technological wealth of China.

“This agreement is sealed at an opportune time, as we aim for economic diversification and optimisation; it creates an opportunity for investment and skills exchange that we urgently require,” said Mr Thaga.

He said the recent reopening of the council abattoir could be beneficial, expressing hope that the Chinese would invest in the project and expand it into a larger facility. He was of the view that the move would change the economic landscape of Serowe.

In addition, he expressed a wish for staff exchange between the SDC and Jiujang  City. He said that would facilitate skills transfer and exchange, as well as promote cultural exchange. Furthermore, he said through the agreement, the transfer of technological skills would give Botswana a competitive edge.

The council Secretary, Mr Mogorosi Kokoro said the significant aspects of the twinning agreement were tourism and cultural heritage, agriculture and technology, education, health, urban planning and infrastructure, wildfire management, investment promotion and local economic development, technology transfer, affordable housing, and waste management.

He added that as Botswana confronted the challenge of diversifying the economy from mining, the agreement would serve as a boost to the economy. With enough land for both crop and livestock production in the district, Mr Kokoro said he the agreement would enable knowledge sharing for the adoption of climate -smart agricultural technologies, as well as opportunities to replicate programs similar to Jiujiang’s smart Farmers Market.

Deputy Chairman of the Jiujiang City Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Mr Wang Fengpeng expressed optimism that the sharing of practical technology to optimise production would be emphasised under the twinning agreement. He observed that technological advancements enabled many industries to enhance outputs, and sustain profitability.

Furthermore, he said the two nations would benefit from exchanging information on farming techniques, animal breeds, crops, pest management, and water conservation strategies to aid in agricultural modernisation and maximise profits.

He also said the agreement would concentrate on jointly exploring green, low-carbon development pathways that would aid in sustainable economic advancement. BOPA