09 Apr 2025

The official opening of the Nkashi Knowledge Centre in Beetsha has been hailed as a community development that will help to tell the stories of the people of the Okavango Delta. 

The centre is a dynamic community hub dedicated for  cross-generational learning, conservation leadership, sustainable livelihood development and the preservation and celebration of traditional knowledge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. 

Strategically located in Beetsha, the centre will serve communities in Seronga, Gunotsoga, Eretsha, Beetsha, and Gudigwa. Giving a keynote address at the event on Tuesday, the Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, said the facility stood as a demonstration of inspiration for community capacity building and skills development. 

The ministry, he said wanted to preserve the community’s history, culture, and traditions citing that they were eager to understand how they had lived in harmony with the land and protected it for so long.  By sharing the stories, he said they could attract more visitors beyond just wildlife tourism and help the people take pride in their heritage.  However, he commended the Nkashi Trust and its partners, De Beers Group and the National Geographic Society for the invaluable contribution towards the development agenda noting that they had established the centre in an area that had historically lagged in development. 

The progress of development, Mr Motshegwa said had been slow in reaching the Okavango region. 

“This is why we commend organisations like Nkashi Trust for stepping forward to collaborate with communities in building a better Botswana. The trust envisions it as a hub where the people of Beetsha and the wider Okavango Panhandle can come together to create solutions for the challenges they face,” he added.   Mr Motshegwa acknowledged that one of the founding pillars of the nation was self-reliance and highlighted that the spirit of self-reliance was embodied by the Nkashi Trust and its remarkable initiative. 

The centre, he said was indeed a community development at its finest saying people would unite to find sustainable ways to uplift themselves.  He also appreciated that Nkashi Trust was implementing initiatives such as educators’ expedition with teachers, financial inclusion, and literacy, and Itsoseng (the out-of-school support to students re-writing Form 3 and Form 5). 

The trust also has Community Based Natural Resource Management initiatives such as tower gardens, Nkashi Classic Race, Nkashi Trails and the Nkashi Knowledge Bus, which is a mobile library resource designed to bring education, knowledge and promote sustainable alternative livelihoods and skills directly to the heart of the delta communities. 

Additionally, the minister acknowledged that the storytelling clubs would empower local youth to use the power of storytelling to preserve their heritage, strengthening the bond between culture, community, and conservation. 

“Our government acknowledges the importance of these services in equipping communities with the tools to adapt to climate change, sustainable use of natural resources and enhance resilience against threats to food and water security.”

The minister said the centre could also help tell the stories of the people of the Okavango Delta. 

“As you may know, the delta became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014 - the 1000^th in the world because of its unique nature and wildlife. But the Okavango Delta is not just about animals, it is also about the people who have lived here for generations,” he stated. 

Mr Motshegwa further urged the communities to make full use of the resources and support the Nkashi Trust to come up with sustainable initiatives and interventions that would better their lives.  The communities were urged to protect, nurture it and allow it to thrive for generations to come. De Beers Group Head of Policy and Planning, Safety and Sustainable Development, Risk and Occupational Safety, Mr Tefo Molosiwa, stated that the centre, funded through Okavango Eternal, was a major milestone for the partnership and one that they were particularly proud of. 

He hoped that the facility would stand testament to the power of partnership, a place for meetings, a place for learning, both from tradition and from science, but most of all a place for community. 

He said the centre would also serve as a place that brought people together to support livelihoods alongside conservation, which in turn would help protect the delta. ENDS