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Botswana is pursuing a number of green energy programs and projects as part of its efforts to transition from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one while also creating jobs.
This was revealed by President Mokgweetsi Masisi during a keynote address at the Botswana World Economic Forum (WEF) post-analysis seminar in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital city, on Wednesday.
“In our quest to transition from a resource-based to knowledge-based economy and create jobs, there are certain programs and projects that we are pursuing, some of which are in the green energy sector,” said Masisi.
Masisi said Botswana, which is currently reviewing its integrated resource plan in order to expand the contribution of solar energy to Botswana’s energy mix, is working around the clock to ensure that there is the financing of programs and projects in the green energy sector.
The envisaged expansion in the contribution of solar energy in the southern African country’s energy mix is necessitated by Botswana’s best sunrise for solar energy, according to Masisi.
Mpho Regoeng, an independent energy expert based in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, told the seminar that green investments lead to a job shift instead of net job gains in the long run and may well create net new jobs in the short run if they are undertaken in an economy.
Regoeng cited an example by saying that investing in solar photovoltaic energy creates an average of 1.5 times as many jobs as investing the same amount of money in fossil fuels.
