09 Dec 2025

North West District is developing a five year (2026-20230) Local Economic Development (LED) strategy to give the local economy a clear vision and direction.
The LED approach guide government, businesses and the community to work together to boost local economy, reduce poverty, create responsible employment opportunities and improve livelihoods by leveraging local resources and skills through strategic planning, infrastructure investment and support small, medium entrepreneurs.
Addressing a full council meeting, Council Chairman, Mr Itumeleng Kelebetseng said LED would not solely be driven by government, urging full participation of all other stakeholders. He said investment and leadership were at the pinnacle of a successful LED strategy.
Mr Kelebetseng said the economic development of the district was dependent on a strong partnership between government, private enterprises and the community.
“Our district is a region of diverse economic potentials, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, crafts, small scale trade among others and through strong collaboration, consistent participation, open dialogue and joint action, we will drive innovation and competitiveness. We will create an attractive destination for investment to mention but a few,” he added.
He called on fellow political leaders and other stakeholders to share the journey which was focused on improving the overall wellbeing of the community through better services and a more vibrant local economy.
Mr Kelebetseng also highlighted that efforts to establish meaningful international relations were progressing well citing that recently, he hosted the Deputy Chief of Mission from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Botswana, who expressed commitment to deepening cooperation in tourism and cultural exchange.
“After my return visit to the Embassy, I am pleased to report that there are promising prospects for the council to benefit from training seminars that will support our human capital development,” he said.
He said the recent launch of the use of drones in delivering medicines to health facilities was a transformative step in the health-care delivery system by ensuring that essential medical supplies reach communities swiftly and efficiently.
On other issues, Mr Kelebetseng noted that community consultations on the proposal of upgrading Maun into a Green City have been completed in November.
He said the task team was currently working on the compilation of the district position paper covering comments and ideas from different stakeholders.
Mr Kelebetseng also reported that the district was currently experiencing illegal developments particularly in larger villages such as Maun and Sehithwa.
He added that the situation was also common within in the Okavango Delta area, entailing commercial developments especially tourism related accommodation facilities.
“Our communities should be aware that the entire district is a planning area and therefore the process of development has to be followed to the latter. As the council we continue to strengthen our enforcement processes to safeguard the community against these illegal developments,” added Mr Kelebetseng. ENDS