28 Aug 2022

 The new strategies government was forced to adopt after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted its planned manifesto implementation are paying off.

   “We have made strides in the right direction and managed to achieve several projects,” President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi told the 39th Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) national congress held in Tsabong on Saturday.

  According to Dr Masisi, one such project was Smart Botswana Strategy’s digitisation programme aimed at taking advantage of opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and moving Botswana towards the knowledge-based economy.

The President said government had made good progress in infrastructure development and service delivery citing the village electrification project which had covered 90 per cent of gazetted villages as well as construction of water and road projects.

“We are on course to distribute laptops to students in order to facilitate their learning and research and thus raise higher their performance and achievement potential. 

We are on course to allocate 100 000 residential plots by the end of the 2022/23 financial year.

We are on course to develop our national genetic bank for cattle and small stock along with technological investments that will enable us to produce our own semen strands and embryos,” said the President.

He said the achievements resulted from reprioritisation of activities and development of the RESET Agenda.

“Through the RESET Agenda, the BDP-led government committed to redouble efforts to deliver the promises made to Batswana in 2019,” said President Masisi.

The agenda’s priorities, he said, included saving Batswana  from COVID-19, alignment of the government machinery to the Presidential agenda, digitisation to ensure effective delivery of services, value chain development to unlock opportunities for new high growth companies in the private sector, youth employment and mindset change.

Dr Masisi said a further commitment was made to improve project implementation in accordance with the National Development Plan 11 and the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan.

  The President reaffirmed  BDP’s commitment to leading the country towards recovery and transformation  after the ravages of COVID-19.

 That would be achieved through creation of decent jobs and inclusive wealth, he said.

President Masisi said government remained steadfast in its mission towards economic inclusion.

 He said, “We won the 2019 general elections on the strength of what we promised, our record and our ability to see through a common dream; a Botswana in which all are equal, a Botswana in which the rule of law reigns, a country that takes pride in the self-reliance of its own citizenry, a country where the corrupt few, no matter how powerful, must fully account before a judicious process.”

Dr Masisi thanked BDP members for always standing behind the party which he said helped it to achieve its mandate of developing the country.

“I must thank you democrats for the hard work, unity and unrivalled tenacity for holding firm to the founding principles of our party even in instances where others not fully initiated in our ways, would have faltered. You stood firm for our party and country,” he said.

Vice president and party chairman, Mr Slumber Tsogwane urged BDP members to continue with the spirit of unity and cohesion.

 “As a party we have been able to sell our agenda successfully to the voters because of our unity,” he said. ENDS