10 Mar 2019

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has reiterated government’s commitment to job creation.

Addressing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Gaborone region during a congress in Gaborone on March 9, Dr Masisi said government had invested money on information communication technology (ICT) as a tool to provide new avenues for job creation.

He said government had invested huge sums of money in the fiber optic cables to broaden availability of high speed and cost effective internet connectivity.

Dr Masisi further noted that the fiber optic network would create opportunities for youth companies as well as other small and medium sized enterprises in the ICT industry.

Furthermore, he said government would invest in research on natural resources that portray Botswana’s natural heritage citing artifacts such as letsoku.

“I want research institutions like BITRI, UB, BUAN and other private ones to conduct research of our domicile products. I want them to patent letsoku, brand it and market it,” he said.

He further stated that three new mines were being developed and they had potential to open job opportunities.

He said government recently signed the biggest investment deal in mining amounting to P5.7 billion with Khoemacau Copper Mining Company.

He said the company had so far created 200 jobs for Batswana and that more jobs would be created by the high technology mining company.

Dr Masisi also said government would ensure that tourism was inclusive to Batswana because it had potential to create direct and indirect new jobs.

Under the tourism sector, he said, there were initiatives to come up with policies and strategies that would make tourism business requirements affordable to Batswana, thereby, contributing to local development. 

This, he said, would also allow citizens to realise real benefits from the industry.

On other issues, he said Botswana was a peace-loving nation which stood for peace that was for many years orchestrated under the leadership of BDP.

“This is why when I took over as President I deliberately went out to sell Botswana proposition. This is the BDP I want. It is the party that has ideologies of peace, he said.

Meanwhile, Gaborone region chairperson, Mr MacDonald Peloetletse appealed to democrats to endorse President Masisi for the position of party president in the upcoming special congress billed for Kang in April 5. 

“If you want to win, if you want to attract the swing voters then as democrats we should not make a mistake in Kang,” he said. ENDS