Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana is looking to tap into Zimbabwe's expertise in waste management, specifically seeking to replicate the country's technological advances in this area, Botswana's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Dr Lemogang Kwape said yesterday.
A delegation led by Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Engineer Amos Marawa and Geo Pomona Waste Management executive chairman and chief executive officer Dr Dilesh Nguwaya is in Gaborone to establish areas of cooperation in waste management at the invitation of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
During the 44th SADC Summit held in Harare in August, visiting Presidents toured the Geo Pomona Waste Management plant and expressed their interest in the project.
The visit is yet another positive spin-off from the successful gathering of Heads of State at the Summit.
In an interview, Minister Kwape said Zimbabwe and Botswana had an obligation to cooperate and assist each other as sister republics and so Botswana was keen to learn from Geo Pomona Waste Management.
"But at Geo Pomona for us was cutting-edge technology where waste is managed and reused. For us, that is extremely important. We are beginning to be on an upswing in terms of consumption, therefore it goes without saying that we will have waste. So the team from Zimbabwe came here at the invitation of the President (Masisi) because the President had discussed this with President Mnangagwa," he said.
Dr Kwape said the region needed to put shoulders to the wheel in establishing advanced waste management operations.
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"You know SADC is meant to integrate this region so when we go to a sister country we are always looking out for opportunities for ourselves and visiting Geo Pomona was an exciting venture because it talked to what we need to do as a region.
"So we want them to visit our country, explore opportunities where we can jointly invest not only in infrastructure but in the skills and technologies to apply for waste management.
"So it is truly exciting because as Botswana one of the things that we want to do is manage waste so that we can have a friendlier environment and a friendlier climate," he said.
Eng Marawa said the two countries were looking at collaborating in waste management, and it was encouraging to note that Zimbabwe's model has attracted regional interest.
"The President took his counterparts after he assumed the SADC Chairmanship to tour one of our facilities at Geo Pomona Waste Management.
"The Presidents that went on that tour were appreciative of the efforts we are doing in waste management in Zimbabwe and through that visit, President Masisi invited Geo Pomona to come to Botswana, on a fact-finding mission to see how we can collaborate as Zimbabwe and Botswana in investment management to improve on some of the challenges.
"Waste management is a problem worldwide, but it has been more critical in SADC and Africa in general, simply because we have not yet adopted modern ways of managing waste," he said.
The delegation met Botswana's Permanent Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development Gaba Gabriella Mogapi, before touring two dumpsites.
In an interview after their meeting, Ms Mogapi said they had a lot to learn from Geo Pomona Waste Management.
