President of Botswana calls on Mozambicans to focus on the country’s development

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President of Botswana calls on Mozambicans to focus on the country’s development

12:58 CAT | 02 Nov 2018

Photo: presidencia.gov.mz

Following the state visit ending Friday, the President of Botswana, Makgweetsi Masisi, on Thursday laid a wreath in the Square of Mozambican Heroes. Afterwards, he spoke to the press and stressed that his country is committed to working side by side with Mozambique in improving the living conditions of the peoples of both countries, leveraged by the economic advantages of each one.

Makgweetsi Masisi took the opportunity to leave some recommendations. “The Mozambican people must remain centred and focused on development issues. There are many opportunities, there are many resources in Mozambique, there is a lot of goodwill from Mozambicans, and from Botswana. We want to work very closely with the people and the Mozambican government to galvanise the lives of the people of both countries.”

The two countries agreed to jointly develop projects in the energy sector and port infrastructure, and created a working group to structure and schedule the implementation of these projects, especially the deep water port of Techobanine and a rail link connecting the port to Botswana via Swaziland and South Africa.

Also on Thursday, the Tswana head of state paid a courtesy visit to the Assembly of the Republic and was received by the Speaker of Parliament, Veronica Macamo, and the heads of the three parliamentary benches. Because this was a state visit, Masisi was received with military honours.

During the meeting, the Tswana President and the Mozambican parliamentarians exchanged experiences on the functioning of the parliaments of the two countries, not least because the ruler was accompanied by some of his country’s deputies, some from opposition parties. Masisi spoke of relations between the two countries that have lasted since the time of the national liberation struggle in which Mozambicans used Botswana as a route to reach Tanzania where they joined the guerrillas who fought against Portuguese colonialism.

The president of Botswana also said that he was very impressed with the composition of the Mozambican parliament, which, in addition to representing three different political formations, was almost 40% female, and led by a woman, as are the two largest parliamentary benches.

“You have a large percentage of women in parliament and we can learn something from you because the number of women in our parliament is very low. On Monday I will make my speech on the State of the Nation and I will certainly speak of the experience I could gather in my visit here to Mozambique,” President Masisi said.

He also asked parliament not to forget the elephants that his country offered to Mozambique to help raise the tourist potential of the country. “In the work you carry out here in parliament, please make time to arrange protection and a budget for them. Because they will help to improve the quality of life of the population of Mozambique, because your tourist potential will increase and we will be very pleased to be able to teach you how to protect them,” he said.

Mozambique is expected to start trans-locating these animals soon, according to the Mozambican government, and the first batch will be sent to Zinave National Park. The delay is related to the creation of safe conditions to prevent them from being the victims of poachers who have decimated the elephants in various conservation areas in recent years in Mozambique.

President Masisi ends his state visit to the country on Friday, but first he is due to visit a cashew processing plant in the Macia district of Gaza Province.

By Francisco Mandlate

Source: O País