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Sports Reporter
THE government of Botswana and the African Union Sports Council Region 5 have signed an agreement on the hosting of Region 5 offices in Botswana.
The agreement was signed on Friday to formally confirm that the Region 5 Secretariat will be domiciled in Botswana.
The hosting agreement was signed by Botswana’s Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Tumiso Rakgare, representing the government of Botswana and the Region 5 Executive Committee Chairman, Imon Moreetsi Bogosi, representing Region 5.
Discussions between Region 5 and Botswana had been ongoing for a long time.
Conclusion of the agreement was adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic which forced all sporting activities and sports related business to be put on hold for over a year.
During this time, the Region 5 Council of Ministers, through its Troika, worked closely with Botswana to ensure that all required protocols for the signing of the agreement were thoroughly exhausted leading to the historic milestone achieved on Friday.
Speaking during the signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development Offices, Botswana Minister of Sport, Rakgare, narrated the historic background of the existence of the Region 5 offices in Botswana dating back to 1999.
Council of Ministers then unanimously agreed to grant Botswana its offer to host the offices. Rakgare outlined some of the benefits of hosting the Region 5 offices in Botswana key among them being employment creation and promotion of Botswana as a tourism destination of choice.
“Region 5 transacts business in United States Dollars which in itself is a benefit to Botswana as it brings foreign currency inflows into the country,” Rakgare added.
The process leading to the signing of the hosting agreement included Cabinet consent and consultation with various Botswana government ministries and departments.
The Region 5 chief executive, Stanley Mutoya of Zimbabwe, was elated after the signing ceremony as he celebrated conclusion of what had turned out to be a protracted consultative process.
“The process seemed to be taking a long and arduous route. I am delighted that finally the matter has been laid to bed, giving way to the Region 5 office finally being able to fully function in accordance with the guidelines and provisions of the just signed hosting agreement,” Mutoya said.
In November 1998, the Council of Ministers agreed at a meeting held in Gaborone to establish a permanent secretariat with permanent staff to ensure effective administration and timeous implementation of programmes and activities.
During the special meeting of the Council of Ministers held in September 1999 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Botswana offered to host the secretariat.
For convenience, the government of Botswana decided to provide offices to Region 5 within the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development premises.
Region 5 stands out as the most organised and functional Region in Africa.
The Region comprises of 10 Member Countries being Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Region 5 boasts of several programmes key among them being the Region 5 Youth Games which are now in their 10th edition to be hosted by Malawi from December 2 to 11, 2022. The ninth edition was recently hosted by Lesotho in Maseru from December 3 to 12, 2021.
Online Reporter