Africa-Press – Mauritius. SmartBots heralds a new dawn for Botswana to bridge the digital divide and bring services closer to communities. The assertion was made by former Kgalagadi South MP John Toto in an interview after the launch of SmartBots Village Connectivity project in Tsabong Kgotla.
Government availing free internet, he said was a progressive development, which would lead Botswana towards the envisaged 4th Industrial revolution. The development, he said heralds a new era of development especially in remote areas which would ultimately lead the country towards economic prosperity.
He said the move was directly linked to the recent launch of Mindset Change initiative which would collectively lead to transformation, “SmartBots goes hand in hand with Mindset Change initiative.
We have to transform the way we have been doing things. Use the technology to help us do things in an unconventional way. We will have information at our fingertips, keep ourselves updated from time to time,” he said.
He further said the development was a smart move as Batswana in remote areas would not be left behind as they would be connected free of charge and also be able to comply without having to incur transport charges to submit applications.
Also, he said the move would give Botswana a global competitive edge, improve their interconnectivity in the global space and make it easier to do business.
“Businesswise, you can buy online. If you do not have a television set, you can watch online. It is very useful in a broad way covering all sectors,” he said. Matlhatlaganyane ward Kgosana Piet Kaartze said the development would help Botswana move from a middle-income economy to a high income-economy.
For those in remote areas located in vast distances apart from the epicentre of ICT infrastructure in Gaborone, he said development would reduce distance as they would be able to access services online.
“It will no longer be much of a challenge. Things will now be easier for us across all sectors. We will be able to make sales online.
Tota rona baKgalagadi rona ba re neng re nna mo sekakeng thata ke rona ba re tlhofofaleditseng dilo thata,” he said. He said currently, young people throng Tsabong Kgotla every day to freely access Wi-Fi.
Tsabong youth, Ms Maduo Kgannyeng said she had been accessing free Wi-Fi at the kgotla. “Before then it was a challenge to communicate. I missed job opportunities. Now it is better since I can access information easily,” she said. Ms Kenalemang Mothibi aged 70 of Tsabong appreciated the initiative.
“Re tsiseditswe ditlhabololo tse re neng re sa di solofela, ka gore mo bogoding jwa rona re ne re sa itse gore a re tlaa tlhola re bona dilo tse di ntseng jaana, re ne re ithaya re re re tlaa ya ko legodimong re sa bona sepe mme ka thata ya Modimo Tautona wa rona o re diretse, ra re a tswelele a fetole matshelo a rona fela jalo,” she said.
In JWANENG, Raphalane Customary Court President, Kgosi Duncan Marumoloa said the project contributed towards connecting Botswana to the global village.
He noted that modern technologies were instrumental in speeding up developments and keeping people updated. However, he acknowledged that some part of the modern revolution clashed with Botswana cultures and customs.
” As dikgosi, we are custodians of culture and we do realise that some of the modern developments go against our cultural practices,” he said.
He appealed to other tribal leaders to relax dikgotla rules to allow people to access SmartBots services, especially girls and women who were prohibited from wearing pants at the kgotla premises.
Jwaneng Mayor, Ms Olga Ditsie said Botswana had made significant strides in the world of technology, evolving from an era of paid public telephones to smart phones. She said industrial revolution had made life easy for Batswana, irrespective of their location in the country.
“I remember 30-years-ago, we used paid public telephones to communicate with our relatives elsewhere, but we have since upgraded to smart gadgets that enable us to stay connected to the world at all times,” she said.
Ms Ditsie said new developments such as the e-books would make a positive impact on the lives of learners across the country. In KANYE at Molwaeng kgotla, Kanye District Commissioner, Mr Mompoloki Mochanang said the move was part of government drive to build knowledge-based economy through
SmartBots village connectivity infrastructure project. He said the initiative would ensure that all had free access to internet. He said there were 33 sites at schools, clinics and main kgotla in Kanye saying the move would ensure that all would be able to visit places nearer to them to access internet services to be able to connect to the rest of the world.
In his remarks, Nyorosi Central Councillor Nakedi Phitshane implored all to embrace the initiative and take advantage of connectivity platform to improve their lives. He said the initiative was an indication and an assurance on the part of government in improving lives of the people by providing a free internet.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
