Botswana councils to partner with Sweden

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday June 16, 2010 00:00

Speaking to Mmegi yesterday, the executive secretary of Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA), Kethomilwe Moletsane said ILCD is funded by the Swedish International Development Agency to promote partnerships in councils from Europe, Asia and Africa. He revealed that Botswana is one of six countries that ILCD has shown an interest in building partnerships with. The other countries are Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa and Uganda.

Moletsane has stated that they will be assisting different District Councils come up with projects in possible areas of co-operation. The areas include: local democracy, governance and administration, technical municipal services like waste management, water and sewerage, sustainable urban development, environment/climate change, local economic development, social welfare operation, education, health and medical care and also cultural and leisure activities.

He further revealed that once established the cooperation will promote results oriented cooperation between the two countries councils, strengthen local democracy and local governance and enhance efforts of poverty eradication. 'The visit was meant to facilitate and match-make the councils in Sweden and in Botswana. Their visit was also to understand the situation here and give feedback to their councils who will then choose which councils to partner with here,' Moletsane said.

'Our interest as BALA is to help the councils here to agree on which projects to embark on,' he said adding that ILCD has revealed that they will fund annual projects to the tune of P500,000, while the three year project will be funded up to P1.5 million.