Botswana speaks launched
His Honour the Vice President Mr Slumber Tsogwane says as the world revolves towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), Botswana will not be left behind. His Honour Tsogwane said it is government’s commitment to transform the country’s economy from a resource based, to a knowledge based one by leveraging opportunities brought by Information Communications Technology (ICT).
He said this earlier today when officially launching Botswana Speaks, a platform by the Parliament of Botswana which aims at closing the gap between Members of Parliament (MPs) and their electorates. Through Botswana Speaks, electorates and MPs will be able to connect online and interact effectively on a regular basis on issues concerning their constituencies.
His Honour The Vice President said, this will give people a voice within the policy making agenda. He added that the platform will further strengthen democracy in terms of increased participation. He said it will complement the traditional consultation of Kgotla system as it will provide access to elected representatives at any time. He further said Botswana Speaks will be a welcome development especially for the youth who often feel they are left behind.
“The key objective of Botswana Speaks, aligns well with Vision 2036 Pillar 4 which aspires to improve transparency, accountability and implementation, separation of powers and strengthening of oversight. These efforts are also aligned to Botswana’s broad picture of Digital Transformation Strategy (Smart Botswana).
He said the launch of Botswana Speaks is in line with His Excellency the President’s priorities that aim at transforming the economy of the country. His Honour Tsogwane tipped Botswana Speaks to be a catalyst for the ongoing digital transformation projects particularly the village connectivity.
He explained that the Village connectivity aims to connect over 500 villages to high speed broadband internet in the 2022/2023 financial year. Through this project (Village connectivity) the public will be able to freely connect to free WIFI hotpots to access government online services including Botswana Speaks platform.
A member of the Parliamentary ICT Committee Dr Never Tshabang concurred with His Honour the Vice President that Botswana Speaks will not be a threat to the Kgotla system. Dr Tshabang said the platform will rather enhance the Kgotla system. He explained that it will augment the Kgotla system to promote an effective and efficient communication between the MPs and the electorates.
