15 Dec 2024

Government will set aside five per cent of the 500 000 pledged jobs to person with disabilities, Assistant Minister for State President, Ms Maipelo Mophuting says.

Giving a keynote address at this year’s UN International day for persons with disabilities in Francistown on Friday, Ms Mophuting assured Batswana that the new government would fulfil its promises as pledged, a demonstration by government to improve the lives of Batswana, especially people living with disabilities, who had been left behind for many years.

She said government was aware that persons living with disabilities faced many challenges like unemployment and accessibility to some buildings, which she said would be addressed in due course. She also highlighted President Advocate Duma Boko’s commitment to persons living with disabilities.

 Assistant Minister Mophuting commended efforts by Debswana for considering hiring people with disabilities in large numbers. She said the strategy of Debswana dubbed, “Diversity, equity and inclusion strategy,“ was fashioned to promote fairness amongst the community of persons living with disabilities.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for State President, Ms Goitsemang Morekisi urged Batswana to familiarise themselves with the Disability Act. She said it promoted inclusion, understanding rights of persons with disabilities, and ensuring that everyone contribute to a more equitable society.

She said knowledge of the Act helps to empower individuals advocate for their rights, understanding their responsibilities, and work together to create a truly inclusive environment. She also said the ministry was in the process to have dedicated officers in each district to assist persons living with disabilities.

Ms Morekisi said such was crucial to bring vital services closer to those who needed them most. She said this would also eliminate the need for lengthy and often costly journeys to access support, which was a barrier to receiving necessary aid and resources. She said timely assistance would foster a greater sense of inclusion and improve overall quality of life for people living with disabilities.

For her part, Debswana Representative, Ms Keone Modikwa said ‘Inclusivity and Diversity’ was an Initiative by Debswana, purposed to include all despite age, gender, race, disabilities in their workplace. He said every individual, living with disability or not, has the potential to contribute and shape the future of the organisation and the world.

“This believe is at the heart of our diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy”, she said. Ms Modikwa said to date; Debswana employed 122 persons with disabilities in different vocations across all categories of disability, adding that it was a significant increase from 29 at the end of 2022.

She said positive progress continued to be made towards the delivery of this aspiration whose requirements included investment in the modification of existing built infrastructure and the acquisition of relevant assertive technology. ENDS