12 Mar 2025

The Acting Minister of Lands and Agriculture, Dr Edwin Dikoloti, has implored the ministry management to explore innovative solutions that would create a legacy in land management and agriculture transformation.
He said following the rationalisation of government ministries, the synergy should be an opportunity to occupy their position as a ministry at the centre of meaningfully transforming lives and creating decent jobs in line with the government’s goals.
“As leadership of this ministry, you are an integral part of the new administration as the government declares its intention to create decent and sustainable jobs and generate wealth for Batswana, understand that this directive falls within your responsibilities,” he said at the opening of the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture Leadership Retreat held in Jwaneng on Monday.
Dr Dikoloti further challenged the ministry leadership to come up with strategies that would not only yield tangible results but would also inform policy reviews aligned with current and emerging challenges facing Batswana.
While he acknowledged financial challenges, he called on them to had targets for their programmes and production systems and be able to clearly define the number of jobs created by each programme.
He underscored the need for tailor-made programmes for various sectors of the population for effectiveness, particularly ensuring inclusivity for youth, among other groups.
He added that the programmes should be designed in a way that would embrace indigenous knowledge.
In an endeavour to enhance service delivery, Dr Dikoloti noted that vacant board positions within the ministry would be filled and a skills audit be conducted.
“We will also conduct a skills audit for the ministry as a pre-requisite for our improved service delivery and that we should fill all the vacant board positions to enable functionality and that we should expand our research and development that which includes even the accreditation of our labs,” he explained.
He said part of the structural plan was to establish a partnership department, which would be mandated with exploring value chains within the ministry, to maximise the value of agricultural products for economic growth and possible export.
He said this would go a long way in stimulating local economy, which involved local communities as well as creating the much-needed employment opportunities.
He underscored the need for establishing innovative ways of how they could meet the competing needs and interests for land, considering its limited availability.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Land and Agriculture, Mr Kabelo Ebineng, implored the ministry management to collaborate ideas to enhance diligent service delivery to the communities.
“We are going to have conversations about our relationships and about relationships with the communities that we serve and the possibilities about shared action,” he said.
Mr Ebineng said they should strive toward increasing their contribution to the country’s GDP through value creation in land and agriculture.
He called on them to fully apply themselves and work diligently toward the country’s aspirations of rising from a middle income to a high income.
He said part of the plan was to ensure clear communication to their stakeholders, including their external customers.
He also emphasised that the outcomes of the retreat should be communicated to the rest of the ministry employees who are on the ground serving the communities.
Held under the theme: Creating Sustainable Value under Land and Agriculture, the week-long retreat intends to harmonise the roles and formulate functional and effective structures toward enhanced service delivery. ENDS