Vice President Gaolathe Calls for Shift to Rural Economic Empowerment

Vice President Gaolathe Calls for Shift to Rural Economic Empowerment. Vice President and Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe has urged the Rural Development Council (RDC) to spearhead a transformation of Botswana’s villages, moving away from a reliance on social welfare toward a vision of economic empowerment.

Speaking at an RDC meeting in Gaborone, Gaolathe, who also chairs the council, described members as “architects of rural progress,” encouraging them to use their budgets as blueprints for “survival, dignity, and the rebirth of the village economy.” He stressed that digitalisation is critical to ending what he termed the “distance tax” on rural citizens, noting that Botswana cannot achieve high-income status while its villages remain trapped in low-income cycles.

Central to this transformation is agriculture. Gaolathe outlined plans under the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) to drive commercial livestock production and introduce high-value crops, ensuring that the country’s cattle sector remains in the “green zone” to protect key export markets. He argued that agriculture must evolve into an “export powerhouse” capable of generating sustainable income for rural communities.

“For too long, our rural areas have been viewed through the lens of social welfare programmes,” Gaolathe said. “National Development Plan 12 changes that narrative. We are shifting from social welfare dependency to productive empowerment.”

The Vice President’s remarks highlight government’s broader ambition to reposition rural development as a cornerstone of Botswana’s economic transformation. By focusing on digitalisation, agriculture, and empowerment, the RDC is expected to play a pivotal role in ensuring that villages contribute meaningfully to national growth.

The meeting underscored a new vision for rural Botswana — one that prioritises opportunity, productivity, and resilience, marking a decisive step toward building a more inclusive and economically empowered society.