Africa-Press – Botswana. Communities serves as essential foundations for national development, and it is with this understanding that government demonstrated commitment to gender equality through National Gender Policy of 2025-2030.
Speaking at Tutume Assemblies of God sponsored walk themed: A nation walking together for its Daughters and Sons on Satuday, Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe said Botswana was founded on the principle of united communities from diverse backgrounds who upheld mutual respect and shared values.
He said the walk was more than a physical act, but also a declaration of unity, a testimony of faith and symbol of a shared resolve to lift the girl child, empowering the youth and consequently building the nation.
The vice president said Assemblies of God church continued to be a light in the community not only in matters of faith but in the practical ministry of empowerment, uplifting the spirits of women and young people.
Government, he said was currently developing a total new Botswana Economic Transformation Plan through which they would scale up support for Small Medium Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) including women empowerment.
The programme, Mr Gaolathe said would remove systemic barriers, create markets and more opportunities.
He said government was currently revamping vocational training programme and called for learners to enrol with Vocational Training Centres (TVET) to earn technical skills. Hence, he said the new Botswana would not be built by chance, but by minds of those trained in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and it shall be sustained by skilled hands shaped through TVET.
“The increase in students’ allowance for TVET institutions is testament to that commitment,” he said. Further, Mr Gaolathe said agriculture which had been practiced as subsistence or seasonal enterprise held immense untapped potential to drive job creation, especially for youth and women, adding that through deliberate investment in agricultural value chain development, government aimed to generate over 5 000 new jobs in Tutume alone.
To realise this ambition, he pointed out that government secured a landmark USD$ 800 million (about P11billion) funding agreement with Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to support SMMEs and rural enterprise programmes with agriculture at the centre.
Nevertheless, Mr Gaolahte called upon Batswana to confront the shadows of gender-based violence (GBV) which threatened families and wounding many people.
He commended community led initiatives, which has led to a reported decline in the GBV cases by 18 per cent last year.
The vice president however, urged citizen to report GBV cases before they grew into an incurable tumour, adding that coming forward could save someone’s life.
Sharing background of their initiative, Ms Jacquline Mfana said that the church had long recognised vital role women played in the ministry, emphasising spiritual equality and empowering women to serve. She added that from their early days the denomination had encouraged women to utilise their talents.
Ms Mfana said that the women’s ministry within their church had been instrumental on issues of discipleship by nurturing spiritual growth and development as well as in leadership by empowering them to lead and serve besides their male counterparts.
Such initiatives, she said, made profound impact, inspiring countless women to fulfil their callings and serve with passion hence they called upon the community to partner with the church in building women and young people to take up leadership roles.
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