30 Mar 2025

Trainees have been urged to nature the culture of innovation, unlock their creativity and explore new possibilities that can create lasting solutions to local development.

 Hukuntsi District Council chairperson, Mr Steven Lekgobero made the remarks recently at the start of a six weeks Biogas Project Phase II, Theory Training, where 16 National Craft Certificate  (NCC) graduates of Brick Laying and Plastering from Hukuntsi District were identified by Ministry of Minerals and Energy and accorded a chance to train in building of a biogas digester.

Biogas Digester is an innovative system designed to manage organic waste efficiently while producing useful by-products such as biogas and nutrient rich digestate.

Mr Lekgobero implored trainees to unlock creativity by questioning the status quo of current biogas digester technology and explore new possibilities of creative thinking and problem solving methodologies that could stimulate and inspire them to generate novel ideas.

“An innovative mind-set is characterised by the willingness to take risks and embrace failure and view it as a step towards discovery and innovation,” he said. He therefore appealed to them to take their training serious as it could accord them hands-on experience that could reinforce their creativity, adding that a culture of innovation could be sustained by continuous training.

“Trainings such as this are pivotal in empowering mind-set, skills and tools that are necessary to drive innovation and contribute to a thriving ecosystem,” he said.

He challenge them to scrutinise the bio-digester and develop a modernised one consistent with current times, adding that in doing so, they would stand a chance to further partner with the relevant stakeholders. Mr Lekgobero made an assurance to reward best performer with P5 000 and to contract such individual to build a bio-digester at his farm.

Department of Energy’s principal energy engineer, Mr James Molenga said Botswana government was in full support of global transition to clean energy with a view to contribute towards attainment of the global goal of reducing global warming.

He said government commitment to this green energy transition was premised on the recognition of the urgent need to address climate change and reduce global warming, adding that the implementation of the programme was through private sector, a feat that provided an opportunity for ensuring a shared responsibility and empowerment of the locals.

“To demonstrate this commitment, the Government of Botswana has set ambitious targets for increasing contribution of renewable energy to 30 per cent by 2030 as well as reducing carbon emissions to 15 per cent by the same year. This commitment reflects our understanding of the responsibility we bear to safeguard the planet for future generations and underscores our dedication to being part of the global green energy solutions,” he said.

Mr Molenga said the journey towards this day began in November 2019 when the Ministry of Minerals and Energy partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to develop a comprehensive biogas programme for Botswana.

“Utilisation of biogas is primarily for cooking, heating and lighting. This initiative forms an integral part of the ministry’s mandate to promote the production and utilisation of biogas from agro-waste, contributing significantly to reducing our carbon footprint in the energy sector,” he said.

Mr Molenga said during Phase one of the Biogas Project, significant progress was made, particularly in the southern part of Botswana where 231 biogas digesters were constructed and 77 masons trained.

He said during the 2022/23 financial year, the ministry decided to roll out Biogas Project to the rest of the country over a period of four years. So far, they managed to roll out to Serowe, Mahalapye, Kasane and in Hukuntsi District they targeted to train 16 masons in Tshane, Kang and Phuduhudu.

“By the end of the project cycle, our target is to have constructed a total of 750 small-scale digesters countrywide. From this total, government will support 630 digesters through a subsidy. The subsidy will cover cost of biogas appliances and labour for construction,” he said.

He therefore implored communities, to adopt and explore this technology, as the benefits of using biogas were immense. “The biogas technology value chain has resulted in the creation of employment, provision of energy, and efficient agro-waste management,” said Mr Molenga.

Hukuntsi District Commissioner, Ms Veronica Rabakane said the district was privileged for being selected amongst the many other districts in the country, adding that this was essential as the district was endowed in farming and as such, farming by-products were in abundance.She appealed to trainees to ensure they impart the knowledge to their colleagues after completion of the training. ENDS