22 Sep 2024

Tech geeks and enthusiasts who attended the Summit of the Future Action Day at the United Nations headquarters learned Saturday that Botswana prioritises digitalisation.

In his address during the summit of the future, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi assured that  Botswana would continue to be open and amplify its voice on issues of digitalisation.

“My administration has prioritised digitalisation as one of its priorities within its flagship strategy of the reset and reclaim agenda,” the President relayed to a packed hall.

The Summit of the Future Action Day is part of the 2024 edition of the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA), which officially kicked off yesterday.

Themed: A Digital Future For All, Joint Closing of the Track, the summit is the brainchild of the Secretary General of the United Nations Mr António Guterres. It is intended to generate additional opportunities for the engagement of all actors, including member states, civil society, the private sector, academia, creative communities and youth.

The high-level event is meant to forge a new international consensus on how the world could deliver a better present and safeguard the future.

President Masisi believed that although the effects of digital technology could either be positive or negative, depending on how the world harnessed opportunities and mitigated challenges, the scope for positive impact remained high.

If properly harnessed, Dr Masisi told his audience that technology had the potential to advance the promotion and acceleration of bridging the gap in opportunities between genders and consequently could lead to the attainment of gender parity goals.

“More importantly, digital space has the potential to advance the promotion of human rights if unimpeded,” he said.

He highlighted that the issues of international peace and security leveraged the use of digital technologies to inform the world of the threats and challenges that need to be addressed. 

Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Lemogang Kwape, said in an interview Friday, that President Masisi was scheduled to address the general assembly on Wednesday and participate at various UNGA high-level meetings and bilateral talks on the fringes of the assembly with the President of Estonia, Mr Alar Karis, the Prime Minister of Nepal, Sharma Oli, and the UN Secretary General Mr Gutterres.

Minister Kwape said President Masisi was expected to drum up support and solicit assistance from the general assembly following the UN’s decision to have the Southern African nation host the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) from December 10 to 13 in Gaborone.

The conference, expected to attract over 4 000 people, including heads of state  and the first of its kind to take place within the shores of the motherland, offers a chance to explore solutions and forge partnerships, address challenges, and unlock their full potential for a more equitable and prosperous future. 

Despite hosting vibrant communities with untapped potential, LLDCs are disadvantageous because they lack direct access to the sea. This makes trade, connectivity, and development difficult. Thus, they rely on transit nations, which come at higher costs and delays. ends