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Wallace Ruzvidzo in GABORONE, Botswana
The Botswana Government will soon dispatch a delegation to Zimbabwe for a benchmarking visit to Geo Pomona Waste Management, Permanent Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development Ms Gaba Gabriella Mogapi has said.
Ms Mogapi said waste management initiatives were a priority for both countries hence the establishment of relations in the field. The delegation would be coming soon after the Botswana general elections set for later this month.
“I think what the key takeaway from the session is that issues of waste management are key priorities for both our Presidents and for both our Governments and hence the need for us to be able to collaborate. I think what is also interesting for me particularly is getting feedback from the Geo Pomona team to see that they have had the same experience that we are currently experiencing. There is a skills gap, there is a gap in terms of the management and the efficiencies. What we have learnt from Geo Pomona is that we need to collaborate with the private sector and we are looking forward to it and I know that we will be hand-held by the Government of Zimbabwe and by Geo Pomona,” she said.
Ms Mogapi said she had learnt a lot from the waste management firm’s visit to Botswana.
A Zimbabwe delegation led by Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Engineer Amos Marawa and Geo Pomona Waste Management executive chairman and chief executive officer Dr Dilesh Nguwaya was yesterday led on tours of landfills and got an appreciation of where Geo Pomona can come in and assist.
“They have been where we are currently. The city of Harare has been where we are currently and I think the story that is coming out of the facility that we have seen through video and the presentations from the engineers from Geo Pomona is giving us hope that we can go somewhere and that it is doable,” she said.
Engineer Marawa reaffirmed the Government’s readiness to assist Botswana in waste management.
“The Government is committed to working with us and they are ready to engage with the Government of Zimbabwe they have committed that they will send a fact-finding mission to Zimbabwe within the next two months so that we can come up with a programme of action with actionable items that we can start with”.
Online Reporter