Masisi urges Batswana to be self-reliant
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday July 19, 2022 06:00
When addressing the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members at the party’s National Council on Saturday, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said it is time Batswana produced their own food to meet national demand.
“We need to buy and eat our produce with the remaining surplus value added for export markets. We need to use our knowledge, science, and methods well engrained in our traditions to add value and commoditise all our products,” Masisi said.
“In this way we will be deploying our extensive body of knowledge to stimulate solutions to our needs, ranging from food security to pharmaceutical independence and technologies that we need to advance together as we create wealth.”
He added the need to tap deep into the indigenous knowledge base to create new products and services unique to Botswana and its components such as Batswana do with letsoku, khadi, thobega, leebane, or mototwane.
Masisi further advised that Batswana should do things themselves and minimally would create this wealth with others willing to do so in the face of serrated, and at times, unforgiving political terrain.
On another issue, he said his administration swiftly responded on how to deal with the new disease, the COVID-19 pandemic.
He continued: “We introduced the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan aimed at strengthening the COVID-19 pandemic relief and bolstering resilience to future shocks. We reprioritised our plans through the RESET agenda. Align Botswana government machinery to the presidential agenda which involved reforming the public service so that we can deliver on the 2019 manifesto promises and pledges, the presidential roadmap, and the transformation agenda. Digitisation [and digitalisation] by which government hopes to unlock productivity by digitally tapping into the world’s resources.”
Moreover, the President said value-chain development to unlock opportunities for new high-growth companies in the private sector and youth employment among other citizen empowerment initiatives.