Botswana has secured a 23 million Pula sponsorship from the Italian government to boost the country’s renewable energy sector. Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Thabang Batshoma said besides the financial support from Italy, a number of projects have commenced. Batshoma said earlier in the year Italy engaged the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) based in that country to come to Botswana to engage the private sector on renewable energy.
He said one of the main objectives was to disseminate knowledge of local industrial SME and relevant institutions concerning innovative sustainable technologies in the selected sectors. It was also aimed at identifying at least six concrete innovative RE projects in the country and promote the selected opportunities to the investors and technology providers in the ITPO Italy network.
“We also wanted to engage private sector, non-governmental organisations and faith based organisations to participate in climate change activities,” Italy’s senior investment promotion expert, Elizabeth Chavoilla said: “The Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Rome Italy of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has signed an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Environment to carry out the necessary actions to promote among the private sector of Italy the opportunities in the renewable energy sector of Botswana and facilitate the transfer of technology and investment,” she said.
To achieve such an objective, she said, they visited Botswana between 20-24th March this year with the aim to present the activities of the project and also to receive inputs from the Renewable Energy private and public sector in Botswana. Chavoilla added that: “The world has committed to provide energy for all in 2030 and we are confident Botswana will achieve this challenge but this means that we need to work as a team to establish dialogue among stakeholders,” she said.
