Matambo signs two deals

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Friday February 5, 2010 00:00

The first deal the Japanese government has donated P83.6 million to build a One Megawatt Photovoltaic (PV) Power Station in Phakalane. 'Unlike other small solar power facilities, this PV Power Station will be connected to the grid of the Botswana Power Corporation in order to mitigate the power shortage in Botswana,' Japanese ambassador to Botswana Ryoichi Matsuyama said at the signing ceremony.

He stated that the Japanese government has pledged $15 billion in the next three years to help developing countries in areas of technology and capacity building in global climate issues.

A few minutes after sealing the Japanese deal, Matambo signed an agreement with the European Union (EU) to sponsor Botswana students for tertiary education and finance the fight against HIV/AIDS. Under the deal, the European Union has granted Botswana approximately P900 million for skills development and HIV/AIDS prevention.

'We highly value the financial and technical support which has been provided to Botswana through the successive National Indicative Programmes under the European Development Fund (EDF); including EDF 10 which was signed in December 2007. Today's signing of the two financing agreements marks the start of EDF 10 implementation,' said Matambo.

He added that an additional P70 million grant from the Botswana-EU Cooperation Support Project will be spent on Human Resource Development Sector Policy Support with technical assistance to the Ministry of Education, the proposed Human Resource Advisory Council, and the National Credit Qualification management. The head of EU delegation in Botswana Paul Malin said that human resource development is top of their priorities. 'It is important as it is our largest intervention, but even more so because it is a programme that will help build a better future for young people of Botswana, promoting greater participation in better quality and more relevant education and financing more effective prevention of HIV infection,' he said.

He added that the EU salutes the commitment of Botswana to promoting education and better health for all through substantial allocations from the government budget.

Malin said that through supporting education they are helping Botswana achieve economic diversification. 'With the significance of the two programmes before us, we are committing 90 percent of the funds allocated so far to Botswana under the 10th EDF.

I am pleased to use this event today to announce that the allocation has been increased by 10.5 million Euros in recognition of Botswana's exports losses, principally diamonds, due to the impact of the global crisis,' he said.