7th October 2021
Own Correspondent
The National Development Bank(NDB)has launched the Passion To Legacy campaign in an effort to stimulate and galvanize support for both individual subsistence farmers and large scale commercial farmers hurt by COVID 19 to help #FeedTheNation and attain food security.
It is focusing attention on further strengthening 5 priority agricultural sub sectors which are arable farming, beef, horticulture, poultry, and small stock farming to improve food self-sufficiency for a diamond dependent economy with an import bill of around P9 billion.
“I believe we all remember that since the first lockdown, we now have limited food items in retail shops; It takes almost double the time it used to take to import stuff into the country, commodity prices have gone up,” said Mrs Lorato C. Morapedi, Chief Executive Officer(CEO) for National Development Bank(NDB).
She said, “Through the campaign, we aim to ignite Batswana to live their Passion and create a Legacy for our future generations.”
According to NDB officials in 1966, agriculture was the bedrock of Botswana’s economy and contributed around 50% of our GDP.
“We therefore have to ignite our passion and create a legacy: – i.e return the agriculture sector and related value chains to its rightful place,” said Morapedi.
In line with the tenants of its Letsema Strategy 2019 – 2022 which will include smart partnerships, youth empowerment and innovation, the National Development Bank(NDB) has engaged a well-known public figure Diphetogo Dipsy Selolwane to be the face of its campaign.
Dipsy Selolwane, is a retired former professional footballer, who represented Botswana with distinction in the United States of America, Denmark and South Africa, and now is an aspiring farmer.
To support and publicize the campaign, over the next 3 months the campaign advertising material will run on print, radio, social media as well as TV.
The current vaccination drive, as well as the re-opening of the economy, is expected to go a long way in contributing to the re-building of the economy, businesses and people’s disrupted lives.
