Khama�s 48th anniversary Independence message

Ian Khama | Tuesday September 30, 2014 08:00

 

Today, as we begin our two year countdown towards celebrating the Golden Jubilee of our independence, we may reflect upon how far we have come since 1966, but also what can be our next steps towards realizing the progressive vision of our Republic's founders.

 

There can be no doubt about the debt we as Batswana shall forever owe to the brave patriots who steered this nation to independence at a time when we were surrounded by hostile minority regimes, while at the same time numbering among the world's ten poorest, least developed countries.

 

Our younger generation may find it hard to believe such facts as that back then our annual per capita income was only 84 US dollars, whereas today it is USD 7,700, that then there were only 6 kilometres of paved roads in the entire country, as compared to over 6400 today.

 

Whereas less than hundred among us had then had the opportunity to progress beyond secondary school, today tens of thousands have earned tertiary degrees, while there were a half dozen secondary schools at independence, today the figure is just below 300.

 

Yet, what our country then lacked in terms of monetary wealth, material infrastructure and education, was more than balanced by the resilience and social values to be found among our people. The true wealth of our nation was embedded in their sense of Botho, in their ability to work together while respecting one another for the common good.

 

The women and men who launched this nation were thus as wise as they were brave in entrusting Botswana's progress to the will of the people by embracing the principles of democracy, development, unity and self-reliance. Today, these same principles remain relevant as we build on the founders' legacy by realising a better future for ourselves and our generations yet to come.

 

We can also draw additional confidence from the fact that our progress through people centred development continues to be people driven. This is reflected in Government's continuous engagement with the public through various fora and media from our dikgotla and dipitso to radio call-in programmes and interactive online engagement, as well as contact centres and Minister's phone-ins. The latter is indicative of the wider role now being played by new technologies in moving our country forward.

 

Of course, positive achievements begin with the recognition of potential opportunities. It is I believe, therefore, appropriate for me to share with you some of the emerging opportunities, as well as challenges, that we face in achieving our common vision of a better Botswana.

 

Having now turned the corner on the global economic recession, it is especially pleasing to note that our economic prospects are increasingly positive, with international and domestic analysts in agreement that the country can look forward to continued growth, while maintaining an inflation rate well within our 4-6% target.

 

As a result of these upward trends, we are now in a position to both revive some of our postponed public works projects, as well as further address the conditions of service for public servants.

 

One of the pillars for this growth will continue to be our capital city's transformation into a Diamond Hub. During the past year we witnessed the successful relocation of the Diamond Trading Company's international sales from London to Gaborone.

 

This development, which is complemented by additional domestic sales by the Okavango and Boteti Diamond Companies, has provided a welcome boost to our broader beneficiation efforts; as is reflected in the continued growth of our cutting and polishing industry, as well as diamond related financial services.

 

Today I am also happy to confirm that with the anticipated opening of new diamond mines around the country, as well as the extension of the life spans of our DEBSWANA mines through new methods of recovery, our country is poised to maintain its position as a leading diamond producer over the next three decades, that is up to at least 2050.

 

We have, in this respect, been encouraged by a notable rise in the quality as well as the projected quantity of diamonds now being recovered at various sites around the country. As a result, where we until recently had anticipated a significant decline in our carat production in the coming decade, we are now faced with the more welcome likelihood of wanting to cap our annual output in order to avoid overproduction.

 

There are also emerging opportunities for both mining and beneficiation in other minerals, including notable medium term prospects in iron ore, copper, nickel and silver, coal and coal bed methane. It is to better manage these opportunities that we have established a state owned Mineral Investment Company.

 

In terms of further mineral beneficiation, efforts are currently being spearheaded by BCL through its Polaris II programme to attract base metal concentrate from local and regional suppliers for local refinement using the smelter at Selebi-Phikwe. The programme further provides for significant investment in downstream activities such as the Pula Steel plant currently under construction.

 

The Polaris II programme has been made possible through a strategic partnership between BCL and Government, which has empowered BCL to expand its commercial activities, while being released from what had been its debilitating debt burden. This initiative promises to breathe new life into the Selebi-Phikwe community, as well as the mine and its workforce.

 

There also continues to be promising developments in the utilisation of our vast coal reserves to meet local energy needs, while becoming an additional source of export revenues. This is already serving as a catalyst for associated projects, such as the realisation of our longstanding desire to construct the Trans-Kalahari Railway.

 

On this day, we can also take comfort in the fact that, despite the setbacks that beset the launch of the Morupule B plant, we are now getting close to achieving our goal of national energy self-sufficiency. With the construction of additional power plants over the next three years, we can further look forward to our country becoming a net exporter rather than importer of energy.

 

One area, however, where we continue to face significant challenges as well as opportunities is in the area of water resources. While we remain on target for providing near universal access by 2016, water will nonetheless remain a relatively scarce and precious resource. This will require a continued commitment on the part of all of us to minimise our wastage while maximising our conservation efforts.

 

The need to use water wisely is of course linked to our country's susceptibility to drought, which is being aggravated by climate change. Moving forward, this fact should encourage further innovation on our part in adapting our agriculture to arid conditions.

 

This year, I am delighted to report that over 100,000 farmers have taken up this challenge by planting over 366,000 hectares, with the prospect of a record harvest. Indeed, a report submitted at a July 2014 meeting of SADC Ministers for Agriculture and Food Security projected that the Botswana cereal crop for this year will be 552% above that of last year, which translates into about 200 thousand metric tonnes.

 

This progress has been made possible through both public and private initiatives as evidenced by the support farmers have been receiving from the National Development Bank (NDB) and commercial lenders, as well as through ISPAAD and other programmes.

 

In the livestock sector, we can take comfort that the BMC is once more able to market our beef in the European Union and other international markets. I am further pleased to report that BMC is now truly back on its feet as reflected in the fact that its after tax profits are for the year  P25,764,000 with a turnover of just over P 1 billion.

 

Another area of opportunity continues to be our tourism industry, which has experienced a 45% increase of licensed enterprises over the past decade. I am, however, even more pleased to report that this growth has been largely driven by citizen investment. As of May 2014, out of the 982 licenses issued for tourism enterprises, 602 or 61% were citizen owned, 228 or 23% were joint ventures, while only 152 or 16% were foreign owned.

 

Our country received a major boost this year when UNESCO recognised our 'jewel of the Kgalagadi', the Okavango Delta, as a World Heritage site.

Our tourism has further benefited by the growth of cultural and sporting events, which have attracted many international as well as domestic visitors.

 

While continued international accolades for our commitment to good governance, economic freedom and relatively low levels of corruption can be leveraged in our efforts to attract foreign investment, it is expected that small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) will play a leading role in meeting our socio-economic challenges. This can already be seen in the successful roll out of alternative poverty eradication packages that bring us into striking distance of meeting our goal of eradicating extreme poverty among able bodied Batswana by 2016.

 

Although helping people help themselves lies at the core of our social upliftment efforts, there will always be room for the compassion of good Samaritans. In this respect, one is inspired by the growing commitment on the part of members of the private and public sector, along with community based organisations, in addressing the needs of the underprivileged through many ways and means. These efforts notably include the hundreds of houses that are being built for the most vulnerable members of our society through various housing initiatives, with over 400 houses already built through generous contributions to the Presidential Housing Appeal.

 

In seeking to cater to those most in need, we recognise that the provision of housing is a much broader challenge, with current demand exceeding current supply. Ensuring dignified shelter for all will thus require us to mobilise resources from both the public and private sector. To achieve this Government will be soon launching a new National Housing Strategy, which among other things will provide incentives to allow citizens to better access funding for the purchase and construction of homes.

 

The future of any country ultimately lies with its youth. We can, in this respect, draw encouragement from the positive uptake of the opportunities afforded by our various Youth Empowerment Schemes.

 

We do recognize, however, that there are still too many, especially among our youth, who remain either unemployed or underemployed, which is why we have introduced our national service and internship programmes.

 

The potential of our youth is being reflected in many areas from the growing success of some of our youth entrepreneurs, to the academic prowess of our top achievers, to the international exposure of our youthful artists and athletes.

 

In the field of sports we were all delighted this year by Team Botswana's success at the African Youth Games held here in Gaborone, as well as the parallel success of their more senior peers at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Africa Senior Championships held in Morocco, where Botswana achieved fourth overall position, as well as the sterling performance of our young athletes at the Nanjing Youth Olympics.

 

Nigel Amos' victory at the Commonwealth Games was, without a doubt, a moment of high achievement that united not only Batswana but people across the globe. At the Africa Senior Championships, even though we had one of the smallest teams numerically, we achieved big results, same as in Nanjing. Today let us also take a moment to celebrate the momentous accomplishments of these young athletes.

 

With respect to HIV/AIDS, while the continued reduction of mother to child transmission, and the reported decline in the spread of infection among young adults, is encouraging, we must continue to recognise that the war against the virus is far from won. ARVs are no substitute for the need for continued discipline in reaching our goal of no new infections.

 

In advancing further in these and other areas, we should persist in building upon our past and indeed present accomplishments. In celebrating our progress let us, therefore, recommit ourselves to the values and practical vision which has heretofore sustained us.

 

Given the time of year, let us also pray for the blessings of God. And in our faith, let us also renew our own commitment to the values of mutual tolerance and respect for one another that have all along guided us in our progress. In this spirit let us further celebrate our nation's proud heritage of unity in diversity.

 

Finally, let me conclude by wishing each and every one of you, along with your families and friends, a safe enjoyable 48th Anniversary of Independence.   I thank you all for your attention.  PULA!!!