Africa-Press – Botswana. For Batswana to achieve aspirations for both national and global development agendas, local authorities need to position themselves as catalysts and engines of growth for sustainable economic advancement.
Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Mr Sethabelo Modukanele said this during Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) national members’ assembly in Palapye on Tuesday.
He said such could be achieved by leveraging inept knowledge systems and harnessing resources at their disposal as well as exploiting current technological trends to develop innovative ideas that would contribute to economic growth.
Mr Modukanele said local authorities as torch bearers and first ports of call in the government delivery system were duty-bound to take a lead in transforming public thinking and perception to adopt a new mindset approach to development.
He called on the local authorities to chart their ways and charm their communities through quality leadership and effective service delivery.
Mr Modukanele said Botswana’s economic story had been a result of prudent management of resources such as diamonds and beef industries, adding that it was evident that over-reliance on resources posed a potential risk to sustainability as opposed to knowledge and skills exploitation, where the citizens were equipped with requisite competencies.
He said in the recent State of the Nation address, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi mentioned some critical factors that had the potential to either catalyse or stagnate the economic recovery process such as unrest, weak demand for rough diamonds and the uptake of foreign direct investments.
To this end, he said interventions such as Temo Letlotlo were created to maximise opportunities, improve, maintain and develop downstream value chains.
He said the conference came at a time when government was faced with numerous challenges to deliver on global and national development priorities against dwindling annual national budget allocations.
Mr Modukanele said the devastating effects of COVID-19 would take long to overcome having put tremendous strain on government’s ability to deliver services and development projects.
It has also caused regression in economic gains Botswana had achieved over the years, he said, adding that post-pandemic, government came up with initiatives such as the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan (ERTP) as well as the Reset and Reclaim agenda as measures aimed at resuscitating the economy.
He expressed a need to draw lessons from incidents that tend to reverse the country’s economic gains and develop innovative ways by which at an individual level and as a collective [we can] build resilience as a safeguard against unpredictable calamities a.
Mr Modukanele said the standing committee established to negotiate remuneration packages for politicians, members of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and specified offices had completed its consultations.
He said through BALA, a position paper was presented to the committee and recommendations had been made to government for consideration. He said his ministry had also recently embarked on the development of a manual that outlined benefits and entitlements as well as conditions of service for civic leaders, an almost complete exercise.
Kgosi Martha Lebang of Palapye said local authorities played a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of the communities and by extension, the entire nation.
She said local authorities were a government’s gateway to the people and wre primary drivers and implementers of government’s policies. She said they should keep in mind that their actions, decisions, and policies had a direct impact on the lives of the people they served.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
