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Keynote Address by His Honour The Vice President of the Republic Of Botswana , Mr. Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi at the Prize Giving Ceremony of the CED/DBSA University Challenge

Wednesday, November 1, 2017 - 17:45

Director of Ceremonies;

Minister of Investment Trade and Industry, Honourable Vincent T. Seretse;

Cabinet Ministers here present;

Members of Parliament here present,

Permanent Secretaries here present;

Chairman of the Association of African Development Finance Institutions, Mr Patrick Dlamini;

CEDA Chairman, Dr Alfred Tsheboeng and members of the Board of Directors;

CEDA CEO, Mr Thabo Thamane;

The Top 10 Finalists;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Good Evening

1. Today we meet once again to witness a historical moment to recognise the winner of the 1st CEDA/DBSA University Challenge. It was exactly four months ago when I stood on this podium to launch this Challenge. I am once again honoured to celebrate the creativity of our young people and to be accorded the privilege to witness the award to the most deserving candidate.

2. The CEDA/DBSA University Challenge which was launched in June 2017, is an outcome of the World Federation of Development Finance Institutions (WFDFI) 3rd Joint Chief Executive Officers Forum that was hosted by CEDA in Gaborone in 2016.  The Challenge called upon the youth of Botswana, specifically those enrolled in institutions of higher learning accredited by the Botswana Qualifications Authority, at all levels; Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, Masters Degrees or Doctoral Programmes to come up with implementable solutions to issues affecting this country.

3. The Challenge was offered by the Chairman of the Association of African Development Finance Institutions (AADFI) and the Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) Mr Patrick Dlamini. He offered to pay P100 000 to any student who could come up with an implementable solution to address any of the key issues facing Botswana. He further offered P25 000 extra if a female came up with the solution.

4. To that end, Botswana matched the offer of DBSA, and as a result, the winning solution would receive a total of P200 000.  Further, in order to encourage women participation, if the winning candidate is female, she would receive an extra P50 000, resulting in total prize money of P250 000. The contribution of DBSA is appreciated as this is a testimony of their partnership with CEDA and indeed Botswana. These kind of partnerships demonstrate the historical relations between our nations and our people.

5. Director of Ceremonies, a majority of the target group is in the age group 15-24 and according to Statistics Botswana, they constitute more than 20% of our population. Further, according to the 2015/16 Botswana Multi-topic Household Survey, youth unemployment constitute 69% of those seeking employment. It is in view of the above, that my Government continue to develop Policies, Strategies and Programmes to address unemployment. These include, the National Development Plan 11, Vision 2036, Economic Diversification Drive Strategy, National Entrepreneurship Policy, development of the Creative Industry Sector Strategy. These Policies and Strategies aim to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in the country. I therefore, wish to encourage the youth to familiarise themselves with these Policy documents to empower themselves.

6.Further, Government has established CEDA to provide subsidised financing to citizens who aspire to venture into business. Other enterprise development support is offered through the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority, Local Enterprise Authority, Youth Development Fund Tokafala and Women Enterprise Empowerment Programmes. Notwithstanding the introduction of these Programmes, youth unemployment has persisted, therefore there is need to find alternative means to deal with this issue as they arise, hence this Challenge was initiated at an opportune time.

7. Director of Ceremonies, as I conclude my address, I wish to commend CEDA and DBSA leadership for initiating this Challenge. I believe this process has also evoked the spirit of entrepreneurship while creating an environment of competitiveness amongst the youth. I encourage you to keep the dream alive, as I believe this provided a platform of innovativeness that would contribute to a knowledge economy that we aspire to become. It is therefore, pertinent for ourselves as a nation, to create an official platform for innovation and creativity. This platform will offer real time solutions to push our economy to the higher income category that we are positioning ourselves to achieve by 2036.

10.To all the Top 10 finalists, I wish to emphasise you that beyond the financial rewards, your great sense of pride, accomplishment and recognition is immeasurable. Consider this as a catalyst that will steer your lives to greater heights. To the Judges, while I am envious of your positions of having the privilege to appreciate the proposals, I sympathise with you for your difficult job of identifying the best proposal.

11. Director of Ceremonies, I wish you all an enjoyable evening and wish all candidates the best of luck.

10.       Thank you.