COVID- 19: A call for increased citizen empowerment

In most African countries, in the years following Independence many expatriates were employed by government and in the private sector.

However, over time as local people became better educated more of these jobs became filled by locals. And that’s a good thing since that would reduce unemployment levels in the country.

Although in Botswana the vast majority of jobs are now localised in the public sector, we cannot forever depend on government to provide Batswana with jobs. Already, reports indicate that government employs too many people, which places a serious burden on government coffers.

In fact, in well- developed Western countries a much lower percentage of the labour force is employed by government than in Botswana. Yet, in most cases, their economies are stronger and more diversified than ours.

Most economists believe that it is the private sector that stimulates and drives economic growth; the role of government is simply to provide infrastructure and an environment that is conducive to business by providing roads, railways, dams, health care facilities and the like.

As a result of the COVID- 19 pandemic, it is estimated that at least 20 000 jobs were lost last year in Botswana. For this reason, there is an even greater need now to emphasise citizen empowerment – to encourage and enable citizens to start up and run their own businesses in the private sector. After all, one of our national principles is boipelego – self- reliance. The reality is that we need to create jobs ourselves and not to wait for someone else, like government, to offer us one – that is not citizen empowerment.

I once saw an Africa Business Report on the BBC which focused on unemployment in Botswana. The programme focused on what people thought could be done to reduce the problem. Many young people who were interviewed said that government must give them jobs!

But one young man had a different opinion. He said that to rely on government handouts – jobs and money – would be bad for Botswana. Instead of seeking a job, he told the reporter that he now provides jobs for other youths – he has opened a restaurant in Old Naledi, Gaborone, which serves traditional food. He now employs about eight people there and the business is doing well. Now that is citizen empowerment!

However, we need to be careful about the type of business to get into; not all businesses are appropriate for Botswana.

In the April 2nd 2021 issue of the Botswana Guardian, I read with much interest the article entitled Fusion Quesadillas: A Taste of Mexico.

Here a Motswana, Otsile Ramosamo, has set up his own company – Fusion Quesadillas, where he makes tasty quesadillas, or tortilla wraps which contain cheese, spices and meat, and he claims that business is doing well in Gaborone ( quesadilla is pronounced kaysadiya with stress on the second to last syllable; quesadilla is derived from the Spanish word el queso which means cheese.).

In so doing, he has filled a gap in the market for foreign foods. But seeing that there is a demand for Mexican food, he should now expand his business by perhaps offering Mexican- style breakfasts which typically consist of omelettes and fried black beans ( frijoles).

I take my hat off to him. Here is a young man with initiative and determination; instead of being a job seeker he plans to be a job provider by expanding his business and employing others. The catering industry is a good industry for Batswana to get involved in; after all, all of us have to eat!

In another paper, I read with interest about Maipelo Kgosietsile, who harvests morula fruits around her home village of Mmadinare and then processes them into morula jam. And she pays nothing to produce the fruits – they grow naturally unlike oranges, bananas or guavas. Again, she has found a gap in the market and she says that her business is doing well in Francistown. But she needs to approach major supermarkets since she has not yet seen her products in any Francistown supermarket!

But she does not have to compete with imported morula jam from South Africa – supermarket shelves here as they do not stock morula jam from that country. And another young Motswana is now producing phane pizzas in Tutume and again his business is doing well.

Batswana need also to get involved in agro- processing industries. Besides making morula jam, other examples of agro- processing include making tomato sauce from tomatoes, making fruit juices from locally grown fruit, the pickling of onions and making achar by pickling chili peppers and other vegetables. In so doing, the value of the end product is increased at relatively little extra cost thus increasing profits.

Sometime ago, I saw some tins of phane in brine being sold in some supermarkets, but no longer! I once met a farmer who grows cabbages near Kumakwane. At that time, he sold his cabbages for P8 each after three or four months of hard work and spending a lot of money on labour, fertiliser, water and pesticides. He then showed me how he processes these cabbages into coleslaw – in a few minutes a simple machine slices the cabbages into strips which are then placed in plastic bags. At minimal extra cost, he increases the value of a cabbage by P4 to P12!

Again, he found a gap in the market – many people cannot be bothered to cut up a cabbage into strips; they would rather buy packaged coleslaw from a supermarket. In schools, the Agriculture curriculum needs to include agro- processing. Making morula jam and other agricultural products does not require large amounts of capital or complex machinery which needs much skill to operate – the technology is appropriate for a developing country like Botswana.

And in these days of the pandemic, government is encouraging Batswana to get into agriculture and agro- processing to lessen our dependence on South Africa. Other light industries that Batswana could get involved in include the textile industry. Sewing machines are not difficult to operate and if a sewing machine breaks down, it would not be so difficult to repair it or find spare parts.

And Home Economics and Fashions and Fabrics courses are offered at secondary schools. Moreover, the textile industry would provide much- needed jobs in Selebi Phikwe which, at one time, had many clothing factories.

People could also empower themselves by raising money in other ways; for example, car washes. I know some guys in Tonota who started a car wash a few years back. They tell me that during peak holiday times, they can wash up to 30 cars a day. Since they charge P60 per car that means a total of P1 800 for a day’s work! Not bad! And they charge more if clients want an engine wash also, or other work done. A few weeks ago, I met a lady in Francistown who was selling toys – these were toy trucks and cars which are real favourites for small boys.

They were made up of tin cans – obtained free from garbage bins – and wire, which at most would have cost just a few Pulas. She was selling them for at least P20 each; now that’s a profit of more than P15 per toy! And no doubt, there are other types of work that people can do to empower themselves. And Batswana do not have to form a formal company to empower themselves; they can do something on their own!

The tourism industry has much potential in Botswana for creating the muchneeded jobs and foreign exchange. We need to exploit our attractions such as wildlife and the world- famous Okavango Delta. However, at present, many safari companies are owned, or partly owned, by foreigners and most Batswana in such companies are employed only as drivers, cooks, guides and cleaners. Clearly, Batswana need to empower themselves to take on positions of responsibility in tourism and to run their own safari companies and lodges. But why are they not doing so?

After all, many tertiary institutions here offer courses in tourism and hospitality but many graduates are unemployed. Again, they should be setting up their own businesses rather than waiting for someone to employ them! But before Batswana venture into such businesses, they should first be made aware of the fact that the tourism and hospitality industry is somewhat different from other activities – it’s a service- oriented industry!

One is in constant contact with the public and so one must be aware of their needs 24/ 7! However, many Batswana overlook this at their own peril. Let me give an example to illustrate this. Several years ago, I stayed at Nata Lodge just outside Nata. At that time, it was under foreign management and I stayed in one of their chalets. One day I discovered that the hot water geyser was not working in the chalet and so I pointed this out to the manager.

He said that at the time he could not repair the geyser but that he would give me a generous discount on the accommodation rate. I accepted that since I felt that I had been compensated for the inconvenience of not being able to a take a hot water shower in the evenings. Three years ago, I stayed at a locally- owned guesthouse in Nata. On arrival, I was told to pay in full for the night’s accommodation. But an unwelcome surprise greeted me in the chalet. After a long day, I was looking forward to cooling off in the shower.

But alas, even with the taps turned fully on, only a few drops of water appeared! Thinking that the water pressure might be low in the village and that it would return to normal by the morning, I did not bother to complain. But the same thing happened in the morning. Now I explained the problem to the receptionist but she looked at me, as if to say ‘ Now why are you complaining?’ I then asked for a discount but this was refused. After all, the cost of the room included the bed, TV, aircon, toilet and shower. So if something is missing or not available then I should have been given a discount. But instead she blamed the problem on the water tank. But I said to her – the tank is not the problem, it’s the management! After all, a tool is only as good as the workman using it! When I asked her where the manager was, she said that she lived in Gaborone, just 630 kilometres down the road!

Clearly, ‘ service’ was not in the vocabulary of this establishment. With local owned accommodations in Botswana, it is essential to make sure that everything is in working order before parting with your hard- earned cash! I rewarded that guesthouse by never staying there again. Now Batswana may stay at a guesthouse in Bobonong or Molepolole and not complain of poor service. This means that such establishments will not change for the better; after all, very few foreign tourists stay in such places!

But it’s a different story in places such as Maun or Kasane where large numbers of foreign tourists stay during their time in Botswana. These visitors demand high standards of service; after all, they have paid large sums of money to come here! And if service is not up to scratch, they will complain and stay elsewhere. The word will then get around and their friends who may visit the following year will simply stay away from such establishments which may then go out of business. However, having said all this, I was most encouraged by reading the article Mobile safari outfit makes a mark in the April 2nd 2021 issue of the Botswana Guardian.

Here a locally- owned travel safari company, A35 Travel & Tours, described its activities which include tours to many parts of Botswana. I am confident that they will, indeed, provide good service to their clients! Let them be a good role model for other similar companies to follow!

To help avoid failure in any type of business, would- be business owners should enrol for courses in business management and related subjects. Government has introduced Business Studies in secondary schools, and LEA – Local Enterprises Authority – also offers training in management, record keeping, marketing and other topics to local entrepreneurs.

As a result, citizens will be fully empowered and so will be better able to run their businesses.

Citizen empowerment supporter