15 Sep 2019

Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) vice president, Mr Dumelang Saleshando, says it is possible to create 100 000 jobs in a year after instituting strategic sector reforms.

Launching the UDC Kgalagadi South prospective parliamentary candidate, Dr Micus Chimbombi in Tsabong on September 14, Mr Saleshando said the constituency was faced with challenges, which could only be addressed by the party’s manifesto.

The coalition movement, he said, intended to create 100 000 jobs in the first year of attaining power and the target was possible, despite criticism by opponents who dismissed the target as a far-fetched dream.

Mr Saleshando said countries such as Rwanda had done it before and therefore it was possible to achieve that in Botswana. 

To achieve the 100 000 jobs, he said, a strategic economic correlation framework shall be effected, where construction boom shall be triggered hence boosting other sectors. 

The roads that led to tourism attraction areas in Kgalagadi such as the Kalahari Transfrontier Park shall be constructed to grow the tourism sector which would create the needed jobs, he added.

The UDC manifesto, he said, placed citizen economic empowerment at the forefront and therefore mega construction projects shall be tendered to locals to bolster citizen economic empowerment.

To further attain employment creation, the UDC government shall ensure that raw materials and the mineral deposits were developed into finished products ready for market. 

Mr Saleshando noted that they would exhaust all value chains right from exploration to production and market ready exports hence employment creation for the people.

Furthermore, he argued that the UDC manifesto was well within the needs of Batswana, having taken into consideration the economics of law of supply and demand dynamics. 

Mr Saleshando explained that some of the new developments that the UDC would bring would be strategies to improve the poor education. 

Children would be introduced to the education system in their mother tongue to ensure that they comprehend what they were being taught, he said. 

He described Dr Chimbombi as a progressive and result oriented leader who had proven himself while leading the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security as permanent secretary.

For his part, Dr Chimbombi promised to lead the people with integrity, accountability, honesty and transparency. 

He said the poor education results in the region were his key focus and would be improved because pupils in Kgalagadi South were equally capable.

Under his leadership, the UDC shall bring about infrastructural development in health care, construct tarred roads which would in turn boost the economy. 

He said the economy should be all inclusive to serve Batswana equally including those in Kgalagadi.

Dr Chimbombi said it was possible to create jobs in Kgalagadi South, adding that Kgalagadi region had challenges that were unique and at the same time had unique resources that could be harnessed to move it forward. ends