Charleshill — Batswana have been asked to introspect about their contribution to the attainment of Vision 2036 aspiration of turning the economy of Botswana into high income status.
The call came from Acting President Mr Slumber Tsogwane in his keynote address during the National Planning Commission Vision 2036 commemoration at Charleshill showground yesterday.
Mr Tsogwane implored every Motswana to play a role in the country's transformation into high income status, urging the nation to familiarise itself with the Vision 2036 document and live its ideals.
"Vision 2036 is a transformational agenda that defines our aspirations and goals as people. It aims to transform Botswana from upper middle-income country to a high-income country by 2036. It sets out a compelling vision of how our future will look like," he said.
He noted that the commemoration, held under the theme: Tebelopele ya 2036: A re Chencheng Dikakanyo, Boitshwaro le Makutlo; Tsaya Karolo" challenged the society to individually and collectively reflect on how much they had done towards realisation of the Vision 2036 aspirations.
"It calls for us to introspect on how we reason, how we aim to do things for ourselves, our families, our communities and our nation. Today, we challenge ourselves to assume a progressive mindset. We must all remember that we are left with less than 13 years before the year 2036; the year we must have delivered Prosperity For All, said the vice president.
Mr Tsogwane therefore said the nation should continuously take stock of progress, with a view to improving and ensuring that aspirations of Vision 2036 were attained. He said every individual and institution should play a role towards transforming Botswana to a high income status.
Mr Tsogwane challenged Batswana from all walks of life to unite, revive the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination, and work closely with government for Vision 2036 aspirations to be realized.
Vision 2036, he noted, was formulated on the basis of three broad questions being; What kind of Botswana do we want to build by the year 2036?, What kind of person would a Motswana like to be in 2036?, and What should be done, and by who, in order to achieve these dreams and aspirations?
"These questions guided an extensive consultative process, which culminated in a national consensus, our vision that we want to transform Botswana to "achieve prosperity for all" by 2036. We agreed on the four key development paths commonly referred to as pillars," he said.
The four pillars, he said, were sustainable economic development, human and social development, sustainable environment, and governance, peace, and security.
Mr Tsogwane said the first pillar of Sustainable Economic Development, envisaged Botswana to be a high-income status, with export-led economy underpinned by diversified, inclusive and sustainable growth driven by high levels of productivity.
He pointed that exports as key component for economic diversification, had grown at a slower rate than desired, which led the economy to remain dominated by diamond, making it vulnerable to external shocks. "We therefore need to diversify our exports through other economic sectors such as tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, finance and business services. Mining will continue to play a significant role, as we continue to unlock value-chains. These other sectors, already mentioned, have a great potential to generate more exports and employment opportunities for the citizens, especially the youth," he said, pointing that Botswana's economic potential was not fully exploited. He asked the society to change its mindset and take advantage of opportunities meant for Batswana by the Economic Inclusion Act.
Mr Tsogwane said the second pillar on Human and Social Development envisioned Botswana to be a moral, tolerant and inclusive society which provided opportunities for all. By that, he said, the vision aimed to achieve a dignified life for all through development of sustainable strategies that promoted social and economic participation.
He added that rural development was one of the targeted approaches for addressing poverty, adding that government continued to improve access to basic services, including the quality of health, electricity and water services. "Access to electricity has improved from 70 per cent in 2017 to 72 per cent as of March 2023. To further expand access to electricity, government is providing subsidies through the National Electricity Grid. Phase 1 of the Northwest Transmission Grid Connection commissioned in 2021 was completed in 2022, with the construction of Legotlhwane sub-station. Consequently, Ghanzi and surrounding areas, as well as Okavango villages are now supplied from the national power grid," he said.
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Mr Tsogwane said pillar three on Sustainable Environment dealt with matters of climate change, adaptation and building resilient communities, especially in semi urban and rural areas.
He said the pillar on Governance, Peace and Security envisioned Botswana as a land of peace, freedom, and progressive governance, built on a long history and tradition of good governance and peace.
"Our mindsets play a significant role in attaining success. Our aspiration to become a high-income economy can only be successful if we assume the right mindset. I implore you to continue relentlessly, to promote the spirit of hard work to achieve prosperity. A re Chencheng Dikakanyo, Boitshwaro le Maikutlo, re tseye kgato go tlhabolola lefatshe la rona," he said.
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