Speaking at the official opening of the luxurious Big Five Lodge in Mogoditshane at the weekend, Mogae said government has opened up more channels for consultation with the private sector to create employment. The consultation is meant to make government more responsive to private sector concerns and remove the constraints that stifle the endeavours of private business. Mogae underlined the pivotal role played by the private sector in employment creation. He said the Big Five is a crucial development initiative that will demonstrates determination by the economic stakeholders.
Last year, 15 000 new jobs were created pushing up the number of formally employed people to around 300, 000. But, there is a strong view that for the country to prosper economically and in job creation, the future lies in economic diversification towards the service industry like tourism and finance. “The bubbling tourism industry, as a competitive one, is already playing a cardinal role in the diversification processes both as a sector and a stimulus to other sectors such as transport, communications, handicrafts and entertainment, among others,” Mogae said.
He added that society should seek to be more creative in formulating and implementing strategies for selling Botswana as an appropriate destination for unique and diverse products.
“The process of diversifying the industry will be further accelerated through the implementation of the National Eco-toursim Strategy that will help us identify what each of our regions has to offer”.
The country’s tourism industry which is largely dependent on wildlife and wilderness in the northern parts of the country is the second largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP). The government has put in place a national tourism master plan and a tourism board to boost the development of the sector.
Mogae said the construction of the Big Five Lodge has already enhanced Gaborone’s capacity as a host city for regional and international conferences. “The establishment of the Big Five Lodge is an important addition to our country’s growing hotel and tourism industry, which in turn has become a cornerstone in our nation’s efforts to develop a more diversified economy”.
The P10 million Big Five Lodge employs about 48 people and has indoor-bars, and modern conference facilities, among others.
