Moshupa — As the rest of the world turns to modern technologies to advance in revolutionising the global economy, Botswana will jump into the bandwagon by adopting the use of reproductive technologies to save certain wildlife species from possible extinction.
President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said while officiating at the Moshupa District Show on August 10 that Botswana was in talks with an American company to explore possibilities of a partnership that would see the country become the first in Africa to use reproductive technologies.
Dr Masisi said Botswana was faced with the grim possibility of losing some of its wildlife species such as the pangolin to extinction, and explained that resorting to the use of cutting-edge technologies could reverse the trend by replenishing the numbers of the species in question.
"We are in talks with this company, which is the best globally in the use of reproductive technologies.
As government, we want to purchase a stake in it and have it set up shop in Botswana; and thereafter we will use these technologies to increase the numbers, especially of our wildlife species that are under threat of extinction," he said.
Should the deal go through, President Masisi said Botswana would use the opportunity not only to save species facing extinction but also to generate revenue.
"The pangolin, for instance, is among the favourites for poachers as people from other countries pay handsomely for it.
As a result its numbers continue to decline rapidly due to poaching. Now, with the use of reproductive technologies, we would be able to replenish its numbers and then generate revenue for the country through trading in it," said Dr Masisi.
Also as part of efforts to move along with the rest of the global population, President Masisi encouraged the showcasing of knowledge-based activities and skills in shows of different kinds.
He said as Botswana aspired to become a knowledge-based society, it was only proper that issues of Intellectual Property and patenting found a place in shows as they had also been proven to be key to economic diversification and growth.
On the role of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship in transforming the local economy, Dr Masisi stated that the newly-established ministry would breed the modern day entrepreneur who would catapult the economy forward.
The combined effort of such a crop of entrepreneurs, at the heart of whose business endeavours would lie, among others, the use of modern technologies, would set the country on course for becoming a shining example of locals being the main drivers and anchors of economic growth.
President Masisi further implored Batswana to strive for excellence in everything that they did, noting that without adopting a change of mindset in how they carried out their affairs, the nation was headed nowhere.
Citing poor waste management, he said having streets strewn with litter showed that there was urgent need for Batswana to introspect and change.
He urged Batswana to make cleanliness a hallmark of their existence as a people, saying a filthy environment was an eyesore that should compel every citizen to act accordingly.
Commending organisers of the Moshupa District Show for hosting the event, President Masisi said through their ability to stimulate economic activity in the localities in which they are held, shows and exhibitions could be a key vehicle for economic growth at both local and national levels.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
In his overview of the event earlier, show committee chairperson Mr Kagiso Maswabi said this year's edition, the fourth to be held since inception in 2017, had shown great potential for growth given the amount of interest it had elicited, especially from exhibitors.
Mr Maswabi said the committee embraced calls for a change of mindset and wanted the general public to do the same.
"With a change of mindset, even those who use communal grazing areas will be able to improve the quality of their livestock," he observed.
Kgosi Kgabosetso II of Moshupa said shows should inspire farmers in particular to embrace the notion of value addition in the agriculture sector.
BOPA
