Doset wants waiver on complex requirements

NELSON DIRENG
Correspondent | Monday November 14, 2011 00:00

Speaking during a Thusang Basadi Client Day in Gaborone on Saturday, the Director of DOSET, Thebenala Thebenala, said such a waiver should come in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between financial institutions and organisations supporting the informal sector.

The Thusang Basadi Client Day was held in conjunction with Barclays Bank of Botswana.

Thebenala said the complicated process had a deleterious effect on SMMEs whose owners were discouraged from applying in the first place. This in turn impacted negatively on the country because the informal sector had the potential to sustain the economy, he added.

To illustrate the point, Thebenala asked how many of the participants - most of whom were women aged 35 and above - if they knew how to draft a constitution in order to fulfil a requirement of the Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development Fund (LIMID).

The majority said they did not know; hence the need for financial institutions to run workshops to teach women how to apply for such grants.

'BOSET has started a new programme named Improve Your Business, which will teach people ways of making their businesses self-sustainable,' Thebenala disclosed. The first group of 27 students started on Monday last week and are expected to be complete the programme this week. The lessons include one on drafting a constitution.

Thebenala also revealed that DOSET would change its Skills Development and Training programme to Vocational Education and Entrepreneurial Development because the focus is on teaching people how to turn their skills into businesses.