Palapye can be next economic game changer-BNPC
Lindiwe Mozola | Wednesday March 22, 2017 15:17
Molake, who was speaking during a BNPC business seminar held here recently, said Palapye, with its vibrant activities, infrastructure and resources is the next game-changer of the country’s economy.
“With so much going on here, Palapye is likely to play a pivotal role in the economy of Botswana, but that can only happen with the right skills and good ideas to call in investors and it can also be a commercial centre for the country, just like Dubai. I therefore urge the business community here to come up with a vision similar to Francistown’s Vision 2022,” he said.
Molake further stated that Botswana International University of Science & Technology (BIUST) is the village’s most important weapon in kick-starting the vision and urged the residents to utilise the institution to come up with robust investments that meet international standards.
He said the business community should align themselves with the University to intensify their technology education since innovation is where the rest of the world is moving towards.
The recent world competitiveness report ranked Botswana poor in innovation and BIUST is one of Government’s deliberate moves in addressing science and technology gaps, he said.
Though he applauded the many malls being been built in Palapye, he also questioned their sustainability, encouraging residents to come up with ideas that will diversify the economy. He further stated that BNPC is coming up with strategies and solutions that the business community can take advantage of to increase productivity at national level.
He said BNPC so far assisted 30 women-led businesses with productivity improvement solutions in partnership with the Centre for the Development of Enterprise.
The stakeholders appreciated the efforts of BNPC to continuously engage with them on the issues of the country’s national productivity. Palapye Administration Authority assistant council secretary, Mogorosi Kokoro shared Molake’s vision, saying it is about time residents took advantage of BIUST.
He gave as an example lack of suitable infrastructure for investors such as health facilities, top-notch private schools and golf clubs. He urged businesspeople to take advantage of lack of such facilities to woe investors to the village.