Mayors’ Forum established to bring local authorities and SEZA together
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
The Mayor of Francistown, Godisang Radisigo, has been elected as the founding Chairman of the Mayors’ Forum. The Councillor for Morupule Ward in Palapye, Jordan Makhura, was elected Deputy Chairman of the Mayors’ Forum.
The Mayors’ Forum was established by the Special Economic Zone Authority (SEZA) as a platform for dialogue on how best Special Economic Zone (SEZ) reforms can be implemented.
The Forum will entail participation of mayors, town clerks, council chairpersons, council secretaries and district commissioners of district headquarters, towns and cities across Botswana.
In an interview with The Botswana Gazette, the newly elected Chairman of the Mayors’ Forum said working with his committee, his first task will be to link councils with SEZA by ensuring that they are informed of what SEZA is doing.
“I will have to ensure that we meet quarterly to be fully informed about the success or otherwise of SEZA and general progress of the Authority,” Radisigo said in an interview.
Eight areas have so far been demarcated as special economic zones, namely Francistown, Gaborone, Pandamatenga, Lobatse, Palapye, Selibe-Phikwe and the Tuli Block.
Addressing at the inauguration of the Mayor’s Forum, the CEO of SEZA, Lonely Mogara, said local authorities are uniquely positioned as key agents of change that bring services to the people, enhance administrative expediency and enable citizen economic empowerment.
“The Mayors’ Forum is therefore a nexus for cross-pollination of ideas to deliver meaningful and impactful developments to our people,” he noted.
“The key objective of the Mayors’ Forum is to create a platform for dialogue on how best the SEZ programme can be jointly implemented for the benefit of Batswana at both local government and national government level.”
“Bureaucracy and red tape have been identified as great impediments to doing business in Botswana. It is our firm belief that ring-fencing SEZ reforms at local government level will ensure easier implementation and bring about much-needed transformation in the areas where our SEZs are located.”
“The Mayors’ Forum is therefore an ideal platform that will enhance collaboration and facilitate free flow of information between SEZA and local authorities.”