Govt funds BUAN entrepreneurial research
Ministry of Agriculture Development and Food Security has allocated P3 million to fund Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources ( BUAN) graduate entrepreneurship and research projects.
BUAN University has partnered with the Local Enterprise Authority ( LEA) to offer mentorship to graduates’ agribusiness projects. The Graduate Entrepreneurship Programme, which is called Incuhive is intended to fully capacitate BUAN graduates, in order for them to start viable and competitive businesses in the agriculture sector.
Speaking during graduate entrepreneurial project handover on Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture Development and Food Security, Karabo Gare said the ministry will continue to provide funding for further development of the programme in order to build state of the art facilities, which will also be used for teaching and research. “I would greatly encourage the University to seriously consider small stock production as an enterprise. As you may know, the Government has been actively engaging different countries, especially in the Middle East, which are potential markets for goat meat.”
Gare highlighted that the ministry is prepared to provide access to land, to help facilitate the success of the Programme and eventual migration of the enterprises out of the university at the end of each three- year cycle. “I am pleased that the University is also considering other projects such as fisheries ( aquaculture), fruit trees production, indigenous ornamental plant Production, Small stock production, food processing, and leather processing. I would greatly encourage the University to seriously consider small production as an enterprise because government has been actively engaging different countries especially in the Middle East, which are potential markets for goat meat.” He said the ministry is also prepared to facilitate the migration of enterprises of the University, by providing adequate access to funding and land for the graduates of this programme.
For his part, LEA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Racious Moatshe said LEA is setting up productive land banks and primary infrastructure across the country to alleviate project start- up costs and other challenges facing our incubation graduates and other potential entrepreneurs seeking to engage in agribusiness.
He said graduate agribusiness projects will facilitate government’s goal to avail primary infrastructure and productive land to Batswana, especially the youth. “This will increase the number of viable startups and employment creation within the various Agribusiness value chains. We strongly believe that without availing these primary resources and inputs, the delivery of our collective objective to diversify the economy and create employment through sustainable SMMEs would be immensely constrained.”