31 Aug 2026

Kgalagadi North District Council is ready to embrace the shift from reliance on welfare assistance toward self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.

The district has already adopted a comprehensive Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) as a framework for implementing its social protection programmes and priorities, Deputy Council Secretary, Dr Bareedi Sento has said.

Speaking during a visit by the Chief of Staff and Social Protection Chairperson, Dr Oupa Tsheko in Hukuntsi on Thursday, Dr Sento said the approach placed people at the centre of development by identifying household assets, skills and capabilities and using them to design interventions that build resilience and reduce dependency.

She said the district’s objective was to empower vulnerable people to develop diversified and sustainable livelihoods that could improve household incomes and enable them to become economically independent.

“The implementation of social protection strategies in the district is anticipated to yield reduced dependency on social safety nets and a decrease in the number of vulnerable households reliant solely on social assistance,” she said.

Dr Sento said the district was therefore working toward transitioning beneficiaries from social protection to sustainable livelihoods through community-based projects.

Among the initiatives is the Lehututu Tannery, which received funding from various organisations, including the American Embassy and the Community Constituency Project.

She said the tannery had a board overseeing its operations and produced leather products such as belts and bags. Some beneficiaries had received training, although refresher training was now required, she added.

The district also has community shops at Ukhwi and Hunhukwe, managed by Village Development Committees on behalf of the communities.

Another initiative is the toilet-paper manufacturing project targeting 10 former beneficiaries of the Destitute Programme.

She said training had been completed, while procurement of machinery and equipment was ongoing. The P1.5 million project is intended to supply the district market and eventually reach external markets.

The district is also developing an Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) incubation hub, which will engage four beneficiaries trained at Kitso Centre, comprising two females and two males.

Dr Sento said the project would establish an automobile repair and maintenance workshop that would function as both a vocational training facility and an income-generating enterprise.

Currently, four beneficiaries are attached to the Mechanical Department while preparations for the hub continue. 

Dr Sento said the district faced challenges that could affect the implementation of the approach, including limited funding and a high number of requests for registration into welfare programmes as well as reliance on government tenders. 

For his part, Dr Tsheko, said government needed to rethink its approach to social protection to ensure that beneficiaries were supported to graduate from assistance into sustainable livelihoods.

He said despite government investment in social protection, poverty remained a challenge, with some beneficiaries continuing to depend on social assistance.

Dr Tsheko said government had therefore recognised the need to engage districts more closely, as one-size-fits-all approach could not respond to the different resources, challenges and opportunities found across the country.

“We need to engage with districts because we have realised that the idea of one-size-fits-all programmes is not working for us,” he said.

He said consultations with districts would help identify local opportunities and inform policies and programmes that were suited to the circumstances of individual communities.

Dr Tsheko said Kgalagadi North had resources that could be harnessed to create sustainable livelihoods, citing salt, wildlife and livestock as key economic opportunities.

“How do we take people out of poverty? We need to utilise the resources that are available in that particular area,” he said.

He said investors operating in the district should also ensure that local communities benefited through employment, skills development and participation in economic activities.

Dr Tsheko further called for greater accountability in the management of community trusts, saying funds held by such entities should translate into tangible benefits for communities.

He also stressed the importance of strengthening the social registry to improve the targeting of social protection programmes.

He said an effective registry would help identify people who genuinely qualified for assistance, minimise duplication and ensure that deserving beneficiaries were not excluded.

Government has been advancing the Single Social Registry and related targeting reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of social protection delivery.

Dr Tsheko said the district visit was aimed at gathering views and guidance that would assist in shaping social protection reforms and developing interventions responsive to local conditions.

He said the recommendations from Kgalagadi North would contribute to policies and programmes that promote self-reliance while continuing to protect those who remain vulnerable.

Botswana’s current Sustainable Livelihoods Approach seeks to move social protection towards skills development, entrepreneurship, economic participation and sustainable income generation, while maintaining assistance for those who need it. ENDS