14 Apr 2026

Rural industrialisation holds significant potential for both economic development and poverty reduction in the country, Specially Elected Member of Parliament, Major General Pius Mokgware has said. 

Contributing to the debate on the adoption of the Revised National Policy on Rural Development 2025 in Parliament on Monday, Maj. Gen. Mokgware highlighted that Botswana was fortunate to possess abundant natural resources countrywide and therefore, it was vital to transform such resources into tangible economic opportunities. 

Maj. Gen. Mokgware noted that the industrialisation strategy should strategically leverage such natural assets and the country’s considerable tourism potential to directly address the critical challenges of poverty and unemployment. 

“For resource-based industrialisation to succeed, it will require tailored policy instruments. It is crucial to ensure that we diversify our rural industrialisation efforts beyond exclusive focus on mineral-based industries,” he said. 

He added that the need to identify institutional reforms required creating an enabling environment for rural development to ensure that they were responsive to the needs of rural communities.

He further noted the need to reflect on models that could be adopted to facilitate improved access to essential infrastructure and services, such as energy, transportation, communication, healthcare and education. 

That, he argued, would enhance living standards and economic opportunities while considering cost-effective solutions to address the infrastructure deficit in rural areas. Bobonong MP, Mr Taolo Lucas, challenged government to make poverty alleviation a top priority and play a crucial role in designing targeted interventions. 

Mr Lucas highlighted that addressing the critical issues faced by rural communities required a holistic and integrated approach, one that was context-specific, participatory and responsive to the diverse aspirations of rural populations. 

By understanding the unique challenges faced by different regions, Mr Lucas said government should craft approaches that addressed not just economic factors, but also the social and cultural aspects that contributed to poverty. 

He argued that rural development must be viewed as something much broader than traditional agriculture, focusing instead on total social and economic well-being. 

“Agriculture should therefore be seen as a business and its associated value chains, as the lifeblood of our rural economy,” he said. 

Kgatleng East MP, Mr Mabuse Pule, stated that government should prioritise rural infrastructure development as a key component of economic growth. 

Mr Pule argued that infrastructure should take precedence in the National Rural Development Policy, adding that the policy should be biased toward face-lifting rural areas to mitigate rural-urban migration. 

“Despite the provision of infrastructure developments in rural areas, further rural infrastructure development projects will curb the current surge in rural-urban migration and reduce overcrowding in urban areas, which on its own has negative implications,” he said. ENDS