REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR. MOKGWEETSI E. K. MASISI PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA AT A STATE BANQUET

REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR. MOKGWEETSI E. K. MASISI PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA AT A STATE BANQUET ON THE OCCASION OF THE STATE VISIT BY HIS EXCELLENCY MR. ALAIN BERSET PRESIDENT OF THE SWISS CONFEDERATION ON 7TH FEBRUARY 2023, GABORONE, BOTSWANA

• Director of Ceremonies;

• Your Excellency Mr. Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation, and your Dear Wife Mrs. Muriel Zeender Berset;

• Mrs. Neo Jane Masisi, the First Lady of the Republic of Botswana and my Dear Wife;

• Your Honour Mr. Slumber Tsogwane, the Vice President of the Republic of Botswana;

• Your Lordship Terrence Rannowane, the Chief Justice;

• Honourable Ministers here present;

• Justice Tebogo Tau, the President of the Court of Appeal;

• Honourable Pono Patson Pearson Moatlhodi, The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly;

• Honourable Members of Parliament here present;

• Kgosi Puso Gaborone, the Chairman of Ntlo ya Dikgosi;

• Ms Emmah Peloetletse, Permanent Secretary to the President;

• Your Excellency Nicolus Bruhl, Ambassador of Switzerland to Botswana;
• Dr. Athaliah Molokomme, Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations and Ambassador to Switzerland;

• Your Excellencies, Heads of Diplomatic Missions and International Organisations;

• Your Worship Mr. Austin Abraham, the Mayor of the City of Gaborone;

• Senior Government Officials from Botswana and Switzerland here present;

• Captains of Industry;

• Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;

A very good evening to you all!

1. It is, indeed, an honour for me to once again welcome you, Mr President and Mrs Berset as well as your Delegation, on this historic occasion of the first State Visit to Botswana by a President of the Swiss Confederation, and, indeed, on your first visit to Botswana.
2. Allow me to take this opportunity to once again congratulate you, on behalf of the Government and People of the Republic of Botswana, and, indeed, on my own behalf, on your election as President of the Swiss Confederation last year.
3. The democratic traditions of our two countries are an extremely important feature of the shared values of Switzerland and Botswana. This has naturally been extended to our common commitment to multilateralism, as shown in the initiatives our two countries have undertaken in various international fora.
4. In that regard, Botswana is confident that Switzerland will use its tenure in the United Nations Security Council during 2023 and 2024 to contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous world. I, therefore, assure you of Botswana’s unwavering support in pursuing this noble and shared global vision.
5. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Switzerland, though a relatively small country, is an economic power to reckon with, being among countries with the highest levels of per capita income in the world, with long-term monetary security, and an economy with highly specialised sectors which capitalize on their competitive advantage.
6. I am informed that the vast majority of companies in Switzerland that are successful globally are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, each employing less than 250 people; and that more than half of the population is employed in the service sector. It is also well known that through a robust ecosystem of innovation, research and development, as well as entrepreneurial – oriented technical education, Switzerland has laid the basis for a resilient, diversified and knowledge-based economy.
7. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Switzerland outperformed her peers in terms of management of cases, production of vaccines, and, indeed, in the post-COVID economic recovery. In fact, whilst the greater part of the world regressed, Switzerland was ranked first in the world in 2021 by the United Nations Human Development Index, on account of an increase in life expectancy and the resurgence of the economy.
8. Mr President, your exemplary leadership in steering the ship at the height of the pandemic, by presiding over effective interventions in the health portfolio, is highly commendable. In Botswana, we were aware and I personally followed closely the Swiss efforts at tackling the pandemic, under your able leadership of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, in particular the Federal Office of Public Health.
9. For our part, Mr. President, I wish to inform you that our best efforts were deployed on multiple fronts to address the impact of the pandemic, and that your personal inspiration was never too far away.
10. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare before our nation, like many others, the need to undertake a fundamental evaluation of our systems to ensure that our people would be protected from future socio-economic shocks, as well as to optimize their meaningful participation in the economy.
11. However, we face many challenges and for the first time since the Global Financial Crisis over a decade ago, Botswana experienced double digit inflation in 2022 as a result of the global impact of COVID-19, as well as the effects of conflicts on global food and energy security, among others.
12. In an effort to address these global challenges, and to set the country on a sustainable path, Botswana introduced the Reset Agenda whose priorities are encapsulated in five (5) areas namely:
    • Saving the lives of Batswana from COVID-19;
    • Alignment of Government machinery;
    • Value-chain development;
    • Digitalization; and
    • Mindset change.
13. Botswana will implement the Second Transitional National Development Plan 2023-2025 with effect from April this year which will decisively set the country on a sustainable path to social and economic recovery, in an inclusive manner. Botswana will, therefore, welcome the active partnership and assistance of Switzerland in that regard. Let me thank you for the broadened cooperation that you and I have agreed to in our talks earlier.
14. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the bilateral cooperation between our two countries continues to grow from strength to strength, and this will be for the mutual benefit of our respective peoples.
15. This morning a Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Field of Health between the Republic of Botswana and Swiss Confederation was signed. This is, indeed, a milestone in the development of our relations in the Health Sector. Botswana will gain access to targeted and impactful strategic partnerships, including in the areas of patient safety, public health emergencies, access to medical products, and effective health systems.
16. Furthermore, our two countries are currently negotiating a Draft Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture, with the hope that this would be signed before the end of this year. Switzerland has a highly developed cooperative system, characterised by small and family-owned holdings, whose focus is on quality products, supported by highly integrated value and supply chains.
17. The two countries stand to benefit from trade and investment in various aspects of agriculture, as well as from research and development, digitalisation, exchanges on policy and best practices, as well as human resources development.
18. Mr. President, the personal commitment invested by yourself and Mrs. Berset in the creative arts sector is very admirable indeed. You have become a consistent champion for the development of the sector, in your official capacity which oversees the Federal Office of Culture.
19. To this end, I am pleased that our respective officials are discussing the possibility of formalisation of our cooperation in the creatives, which will augur well for our countries. It is my sincere hope that the small sample of cultural performers this evening will meet your expectations and give you a flavour of what our artists can offer.
20. Distinguished Guests, I want to assure you that the success of the various streams of collaboration that Botswana and Switzerland continue to forge will be powered by our young people. A recent visit to Switzerland by the Robotics Club of Kagiso Senior Secondary School in Ramotswa, in October 2022 is a case in point. The Club is a trailblazer of robotics in Botswana.
21. The Club commenced participation in annual global Robotics competitions in 2017 where they ranked 145 out of 163 countries. In October 2022, the competition was held in Switzerland, where robots simulated the carbon capture process for sustainable economic development.
22. With their prototype robot left behind at the Gaborone Cargo, the team arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, where within days, they managed to assemble a new robot, which went into action, and saw the Team through a rise in rankings to number 30 globally.
23. I am reliably informed that the Team also won Gold in an alliance with Switzerland, Belize and Lithuania. There is no doubt that the economy, now and in the future, will prosper through young people, such as those of Kagiso Senior Secondary School, who were able to attain results in the global arena, with limited resources, and with a positive outlook.
24. This story illustrates the boundless possibilities from collaboration between our peoples, which we will facilitate with vigour.
25. Yesterday on your day of arrival you, your dear wife and delegation were welcomed to a Botswana evening with dance, music and national cuisine at the National Museum & Art Gallery.
26. Mr. President, this afternoon you had the occasion to visit the National Assembly. The functioning of the National Assembly is a vivid demonstration of democracy in motion. Tomorrow you will once again visit another hallowed institution in our Democracy, the Kgotla, which is the cradle of Governance in Botswana. There you will interact with a very important cog in Botswana’s policy process, and we hope that you will leave with useful learnings on Governance, as well as share some experiences from the Swiss perspective.
27. As I conclude, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to assure you of our full commitment to the successful implementation of our bilateral undertakings; which I believe should lead to the elevation of the status of our bilateral relations to an even higher pedestal.
28. Your Excellency, Distinguished Guests, may I now invite you to rise and join me in drinking a toast;
    • to His Excellency Mr. Alain Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation;
    • to the continued friendship, solidarity and cooperation between Botswana and Switzerland;
    • to the good health and prosperity of the people of Botswana and Switzerland; and
    • to international peace and security.

PULA! PULA!