The government in Botswana is committed to upgrading the livelihoods of many citizens residing in all recognised settlements across the country. So says the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Botlogile Tshireletso.
Giving an update of her Ministry’s pledge card on government priority areas, the Assistant Minister, Ms Tshireletso said government aimed to create an enabling environment for people living in settlements to realise their full socio-economic potential and contribute to building a unified nation.
She said in that regard, government had initiated many programs such as Remote Area Development Program (RADP) and Affirmative Action for the benefit of rural area dwellers. The RADP program seeks to achieve sustainable, social and economic development for people in recognised remote area settlements, putting more emphasis on people-centered development approach.
Ms Tshireletso said that the overall goal of the RADP was to promote the social, cultural and economic development of the remote area dwellers, the majority of whom are Basarwa, to enable them to equally benefit from the development programs offered by government. She noted that through the RADP, government had been able to provide considerable development assistance in social services such as schools, water supplies, health services and others.
The Assistant Minister named Education and Training as important components of RADP for the long-term goal of self-reliance for rural area dwellers. She said government has as at April 2017 sponsored 1167 tertiary students from rural settlements through the Department of Tertiary Education financing program, while 492 students were sponsored by district councils at brigades and technical colleges, bringing the total number of tertiary students assisted through the RADP to 1659.
Ms Tshireletso indicated that the provision of social safety nets to the needy remained at the top of her ministry’s portfolio as 3518 beneficiaries, both permanent and temporary destitute had been assisted with food baskets since April.
