Africa-Press – Botswana. Government shall continue striving to enhance communication infrastructure to cover all areas of the country.
Minister of Minerals and Energy, Mr Lefoko Moagi made the remarks during the commemorations of the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD) in Ramotswa Wednesday.
Mr Moagi, who is also MP for Ramotswa, said although there was still a lot to be done, Botswana, had done well boasting of over 12 000km of optical fiber connecting the length and breadth of the country.
“We have more than 90 per cent of the population coverage of mobile broadband services and many other key achievements. I do acknowledge that there is a lot we need to do as a nation,” he said.
He said government was aggressively deploying services online to attain an inclusive digitalisation agenda.
The minister said once completed the massive government-wide e-service programme would place over 500 public-facing services online to help Batswana access them from anywhere and anytime.
“Shortly, we will be launching in excess of 120 online services. Our ICT stakeholders continue to complement government’s efforts by investing in infrastructure expansions and upgrades.
Our combined efforts have produced a robust infrastructure offering adequate redundancy to ensure seamless service provision,” he said.
Mr Moagi said government, through the SmartBots Project would provide connectivity in over 500 villages nationwide.
He said in the same planning period government shall spend over P300m to enhance the redundancy of the national backhaul through the National Backbone Project.
The minister said through the Local Access Project government shall use over P200m to provide last-mile connectivity in 12 villages and towns across Botswana.
He said through commemorating the WTISD, the ICT sector locally was accorded an opportunity to ascertain levels of connectivity in different communities and plan appropriate short term remedial action for identified gaps.
Mr Moagi explained that the commemorations allowed stakeholders to contribute to nation-building and boost their brands through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes such as philanthropy and volunteer efforts, a gesture he said unequivocally reinforced the national principles.
“Our united vision as Batswana is to transform into an export- led high income economy that accords prosperity for all. During the pandemic our transformation journey lost traction as government diverted resources to saving lives” he added.
Mr Moagi applauded President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi for inspiring the nation by commissioning a RESET agenda to guide the nation to recover socially and economically. He said the ICT sector heeded President Masisi’s clarion call for a mindset change through the Reset Agenda.
“Our network infrastructure is the epicenter of socio-economic activities, facilitating trade, social interaction, and access to services from anywhere, anytime. Equally our network infrastructure provides Batswana with a doorway to opportunities for self-development, business partnership, trade and social networking,” he said.
Mr Moagi said the digital era was unlike any other period before due to its high level of complexity, competitive players, and fast-paced changes.
He, therefore, said it would be suicidal for the nation to approach it the same way things were in the past.
“Our sector should lead in enabling Batswana to become agile and responsive to the ever-changing landscape of public governance, business, trade, and social relationship and most importantly, the digitalisation of our economy across all sectors,” he said.
For her part, Ramotswa District Council deputy chairperson, Ms Marea Motshwaedi appreciated efforts made towards the attainment of Vision 2036 aspirations.
She thanked organisers for the successful hosting of the Girls in ICT Day, which was an opener to the empowerment of the girl child.
She also noted the successful hosting of digital literacy workshops, adding that all efforts in digital transformation were visible, citing the issuance of digital laptops to public school pupils.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
