09 Jun 2024

Sustainable economic recovery and resilience are more critical, than ever, in today’s rapidly evolving global landscape, which is characterised by economic uncertainties and environmental challenges.

Delivering a keynote address Thursday at the inaugural Botswana Accountancy College (BAC) International Academic Conference, Ministry of Education and Skills Development acting deputy permanent secretary, Mr Peter Choto said this therefore called for proactive and multifaceted approaches rooted in knowledge, innovation and creativity. 

“By harnessing the power of these initiatives, we can pave the way towards a future that shines brighter and promises prosperity for all,” said Mr Choto.

He thanked BAC for leading the initiative by organising the conference themed: Sustainable Global Economic Recovery and Resilience from Crises through Knowledge-Based, Innovative and Creative Initiatives, adding such resonated with the world traversing the post-pandemic recovery phase.

The two-day event was meant to provide a platform for stakeholders to share and exchange ideas on how best to collaborate in creating a sustainable and resilient future, post pandemics, to overcome global challenges and build a better world.

By providing a platform for such a gathering, he said, the college was fostering crucial discussions on pressing global issues through collaborative innovation and shared knowledge. 

Mr Choto reaffirmed government’s dedication to education, as the cornerstone of the country’s development strategy.

Through education and collaboration, he said, sustainable economic recovery and resilience could be achieved ‘ensuring that our nation and the world, at large, thrive in the face of any challenge and by prioritising education. We equip our citizens with necessary skills and knowledge to drive innovation, support sustainable development and advance knowledge-based economy. 

Let’s build a future that is not only sustainable, but also equitable and inclusive for all’.

In her welcome remarks, BAC executive director, Ms Serty Leburu said the college was committed to actively contributing to economic revitalisation, through its academic offering which produced market relevant and industry ready graduates, research initiatives and solutions through community engagement.

She said hosting the academic conference  remained critical and all stakeholders’ contribution was necessary to develop solutions for sustainability of the environment economies. Ms Leburu said the conference theme was important and powerful ‘as it captures our collective endeavor to address and overcome global challenges, but also aligns seamlessly to our commitment to advancing BAC mandate of providing a solution towards skills capacity building and human capital development’.

“I must also say that it goes beyond, by fulfilling what we call the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, considering the latest which is the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Framework that we have to comply with,” she added.

These goals, she said were interconnected and interdependent and guided discussions and efforts to inspire all to forge pathways that were both innovative and inclusive. Therefore, she said the international academic conference was also meant to explore and come up with solutions that would shape a more resilient and sustainable future for all, and make Botswana and the world a better place.

The conference’s discussions and dialogue, Ms Leburu said was guided by the 2030 National Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to harmonise approach to global recovery through three core dimensions of ESG. 

The dimensions, she said called for a robust dialogue on issues, such as; climate change, pandemics, conflict resolutions, globalisation impact on currency, as well as impact of technology and cyber security.

Given the complexity of these issues, BAC executive director stressed that an integrated collaborative dialogue solution would be key. Going forward, she said demand for action oriented solutions, including effective disaster risk proactive management strategies and strengthening collaborative efforts, between continents, nations, governments, industries, organisations and communities was key.ENDS