The Okavango area is home to thousands of wildlife species, particularly the buffalo that is responsible for the spread of FMD in cattle. This place is vast, and also home to hundreds of thousands of cattle, the population that grew after many years of closure of the Maun abattoir that could not sell beef to the outside market. It is therefore commendable for DVS to achieve such a huge milestone, which could only be possible with the cooperation of the farmers in the Okavango. We hope that this achievement will definitely benefit the Okavango community who will then sell their cattle to Maun abattoir to sustain it and create more jobs for people in the area. Another important thing to note about the vaccination project is the fact that the FMD vaccine is manufactured locally by the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) that has a good reputation in many African countries and beyond. It is procurement of this magnitude by the government that can sustain local companies in all sectors of manufacturing, services, and others to create jobs.
Sometimes we are left wondering why the government, which is the biggest consumer of goods and services would prefer to import such from neighbouring countries when there are local companies that are struggling to find market for their goods.
