Botswana, Estonia initiate collaboration efforts
Estonia shows interest in Botswana beef
Estonia’s President, Alar Karis, during his historic four- day state visit to Botswana this week, suggested to his counterpart, President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi, the importance of embracing digitalization. He emphasised that digitalization fosters transparency and expands market opportunities.
During an exclusive interview with Botswana Guardian at his official residence, Karis highlighted that digitalisation enhances transparency and broadens market accessibility, thereby attracting investors. He emphasised the significance of prioritising startups and fostering collaboration between the private sector and government, drawing from Estonia’s successful experience. “This is the approach we adopted in Estonia, which proved highly effective. It’s also what I recommended to your president,” he stated.
Karis was answering a question on the lessons Botswana could derive from Estonia’s successes as the latter boasts a thriving ecosystem for online start- ups and exceptional Wi- Fi coverage, amidst its natural beauty and robust healthcare system.
Besides, Estonia has been lauded by the World Bank as an advanced, high- income free market economy. Exploring the insights Botswana can draw from Estonia’s journey towards becoming a knowledge society, especially considering Estonia’s advanced fintech industry and its success in nurturing unicorn companies, Karis said Estonia, having started anew after gaining independence and shedding its Soviet Union legacy, benefited from strong leadership that implemented visionary ideas. The pivotal step towards greater visibility and transparency was digitalization, enabling virtually all tasks to be conducted online, with the exception of one’s burial arrangements. Consequently, Estonia offers a seamless and convenient experience, accessible primarily through mobile phones, characterised by balanced government budgets, a flat income tax, and minimal public debt.
“This is what we did, basically in Estonia we can do anything online apart from getting buried.”
Estonia stands as a digital society and a frontrunner in E- governance, ranking third in Europe for start- ups per capita. As Botswana endeavours to elevate its economy from middle to high income, Karis affirmed that he had indeed conversed with Masisi about the way forward. He emphasized the similarity in size between their two nations, acknowledging Estonia’s small stature and contrasting it with Botswana’s larger territory. Despite this discrepancy, Karis stressed the potential for collaboration between small nations like theirs. He highlighted the opportunity to not only offer assistance but also to exchange experiences, citing the example of their support to Ukraine during war. Karis indicated a willingness to replicate successful strategies in Botswana, a notion he had discussed with President Masisi.
Karis was hesitant to divulge details regarding any potential agreements between his country and Botswana, citing the distraction caused by it being his inaugural visit to the nation for discussions. He emphasized the significance of the trip and underscored the importance of collaborative efforts. Karis extended an invitation to President Masisi to visit Estonia for meetings with their ministries and business representatives.
Additionally, he revealed that they had reached an agreement for their foreign ministers to initiate discussions on collaboration within the month.
When asked about his perspective on the proposal from G7 countries for Botswana diamonds to be certified in Antwerp, Belgium, and its potential impact on global trade liberalization, Karis acknowledged discussing the matter with Masisi. He noted that the discussion originated from the G7 countries and emphasized that it is an ongoing process with procedures still being debated. Karis suggested that once the conflict in Ukraine is resolved, the issue is likely to fall off the table and the sanctions will fall off.
Karis further said regarding conservation matters, he is aware of Botswana’s significant elephant popula
tion and its practice of gifting some to neighboring countries. He also noted Estonia’s diverse wildlife, distinct from elephants, but including various bird species and other animals. Some commonality between the two is the migration of Estonia’s national bird to Botswana during winter and back to Estonia in summer, along with the similarity in national flag colors. He further highlighted Estonia’s hunting permissions, including deer hunting. He expressed the difficulty of prescribing solutions for Botswana’s challenges from a distance but emphasized the importance of nature conservation, a common ground for discussion between Estonia and Botswana.
Regarding agricultural matters, Karis mentioned that Botswana does not only produces milk but also various other
products. He noted Botswana is renowned for quality beef and recounted trying it recently, and expressing interest in exporting it to Estonia.
Regarding the country’s stance on the Russia- Ukraine conflict, particularly in light of recent remarks by Estonian Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas expressing support for Ukraine, echoing sentiments of French President Emmanuel Macron, Karis clarified that they had only heard about the statement from their Prime Minister. However, he emphasized that it didn’t represent Estonia’s official position, as they had not yet discussed the issue. He also referenced President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that Ukraine does not require foreign forces on the ground, indicating that this aspect isn’t a concern in the discussion.