Latest news with #Mmolotsi
The Star
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Botswana seeks infrastructure boost to unleash tourism potential
GABORONE, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Botswana on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to addressing infrastructure gaps in the tourism sector, viewing them as key to unlocking the industry's full potential. "The future of Botswana's tourism is bright, and together, we will unlock its full potential," said Botswana President Duma Boko at the opening of the two-day 2025 Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana Annual Conference in Maun in the country's northwestern region. "We need to wrestle with some of the challenges such as infrastructural shortcomings in the tourism sector, as we seek to grow the industry," he said, noting if properly managed, tourism could one day surpass diamonds in its contribution to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi echoed the president's sentiments, saying that while tourism remains one of Botswana's most dynamic sectors, longstanding issues such as inadequate infrastructure must be addressed to unlock new opportunities. Tourism ranks second only to mining in its contribution to our GDP. It creates jobs, uplifts communities, and supports conservation, Mmolotsi said. "Infrastructure is the backbone of tourism. Through collaboration with other (Botswanan) ministries, we are prioritizing road, air, and digital infrastructure that supports the sector." He highlighted that the recent introduction of new international flight routes has enhanced connectivity and bolstered Botswana's position as a premier destination for tourism and investment. Botswana's tourism sector has seen significant growth, with international arrivals increasing by 18 percent from 2024 to 2025, according to data Mmolotsi presented during a parliamentary session in March. According to the Botswana Tourism Industry Outlook 2024-2028, tourism revenue is projected to rise from approximately 334 million U.S. dollars in 2023 to around 399 million dollars by 2028, with an average annual growth rate of 2.8 percent.
The Star
23-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Botswana launches 5-year anti-poaching strategy to combat wildlife crime
GABORONE, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Botswana on Wednesday launched a five-year national anti-poaching strategy to address wildlife crime and promote biodiversity conservation while balancing sustainable livelihoods and land use. Speaking during the launch of the National Anti-Poaching Strategy in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, Botswanan Minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi said the strategy underscores Botswana's commitment to tackling illegal wildlife trade, now recognized as a global organized crime driven by demand for ivory, rhino horn, pangolin scales, and other wildlife trophies. Poaching and illegal wildlife trade are no longer just local or regional concerns, but have evolved into an organized and lucrative global problem, Mmolotsi said, emphasizing that illegal wildlife trafficking requires regional collaboration and coordinated international efforts. Funded by the Global Environment Facility and supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the strategy, which involves a funding of 26 million Botswanan pula (about 1.9 million U.S. dollars), targets poaching threats to species like lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos and elephants. It prioritizes coordination among law enforcement agencies, integrated land-use planning, sustainable land management, and community involvement, recognizing local populations near protected areas as vital partners in conservation. UNDP Botswana Resident Representative Balazs Horvath stressed that empowering communities is critical to sustaining anti-poaching efforts and safeguarding ecosystems. According to the UNDP, the launch of the revised strategy marks Botswana's renewed and elevated commitment to the fight against illegal wildlife trade. It also represents a strategic move to entrench anti-poaching efforts within the national governance structure.
Voice of America
14-03-2025
- Business
- Voice of America
Botswana hunting revenues almost double amid UK opposition
Botswana has made $4 million from the sale of licenses to hunt wild animals, the highest figure since lifting a hunting ban in 2019. The hunting season, which ended in November, was held amid growing opposition from some European countries that want a ban on the importation of African wildlife trophies. Botswana issues around 400 elephant licenses annually, with most purchased by overseas hunters. Wynter Mmolotsi, minister of environment and tourism, told Parliament Thursday that millions of dollars were generated through the sale of mostly elephant licenses in villages in wildlife areas. "In order to manage the wildlife population, the country is implementing a combination of both consumptive and nonconsumptive utilization of our wildlife resources to derive optimum economic benefit, particularly for our communities," he said. "For the 2024 hunting season, the community quotas generated the sum of 42,863,423 pulas. Further, a total of 15,633,950 pulas was realized from the sale of special elephant quotas to support elephant conservation and community-led projects within the elephant range." In 2023, Botswana earned $2.7 million from hunting licenses. Mmolotsi, however, says the hunts face increasing Western opposition. Canada and Belgium are among countries that have recently banned importation of wildlife trophies. "The country is facing opposition from animal rights organizations to our policy of sustainable wildlife utilization of using hunting as a tool and empowerment to our local communities. The ministry, working with the hunting industry and affected community trusts stepped up efforts to counter this growing opposition to sustainable hunting through engagements carried out in the U.K. and Germany," he said. Siyoka Simasiku, director at the conservation coalition, Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisations says communities will be the hardest hit if the U.K. imposes restrictions. He has been to Europe to campaign against trophy import bans. "The U.K. ban is going to be bad on community benefits as the U.K. is an economic superpower and might influence other countries to actually follow suit and then communities might lose the market that already exists as more hunters will not be coming to Botswana to hunt in community concessions due to the trophy bans," he said. Oaitse Nawa of the Elephant Protection Society is among those who want the hunts to be stopped. He also argues, revenue accrued from hunting does not significantly benefit Botswanans. "They are giving us figures of the money that they made from hunting, but also let us look at the compensation that they give the people. And also the result of hunting, what does hunting bring to the local people because the animals that experience hunting, they tend to change their behavior and they kill people. That is why we are saying there should be proper research in that regard,' said Nawa. Botswana, with the world's largest elephant herd at more than 130,000 elephants has recorded an increase in human fatalities, while crops are damaged.
