During the launch of the SmartBots project in Maun, Botswana’s Minister for State President, Mr. Kabo Morwaeng commented that the village connectivity project is a significant achievement in the development of the country. He said that the project was a component of the public transformation to a knowledge-based society. 

The SmartBots project according to Mr. Morwaeng would impact people’s lives and bring services to citizens noting that about 144 villages had already been connected and 1,200 facilities around the country had free, fast, and reliable internet.  He added that they included health facilities, dikgotla, schools, and libraries, with another 300 villages to be connected next year.

Mr. Morwaeng said that the project had enhanced people’s lives as they could now have access to necessities such as education, healthcare, and agriculture at their fingertips. He highlighted that without internet connectivity, Botswana could not have attained a knowledge-based economy or transformation, appraising the government of developing the country on that note. 

Thanks to President Masisi’s initiative, the project left no one behind as some people could not afford to buy data bundles but now they enjoy free internet. The minister said that experts had affirmed the benefits of the SmartBots project to facilitate the digital economy. 

Dr. Edwin Dikoloti, Minister of Health said the project would help bolster the health system, revealing that 288 health facilities had been connected and that 21 of them were located in Maun. In an effort to also enhance healthcare services, he added that under the initiative, a patient management system had been implemented at Moeti Clinic. He continued by saying that they would be able to engage with patients via the initiative, monitor their medical information, and provide telemedicine services.

Dr. Dikoloti also mentioned that Washington University had graduated over 400 health officers because of the Internet.

Another panelist, Mr. Dumelang Saleshando, a member of parliament for Maun West, expressed appreciation for the project and claimed that it will make their work as legislators simpler to communicate with their voters.

He claimed that in an effort to improve efficient teaching and learning, they had decided to build technology lab classrooms in schools using the Community Constituency Fund.

He wished that networking could help communities overcome some of these problems. He claimed that several of his people were dissatisfied with how some government agencies, like the land board, provided their services. He stated that they wanted to be able to submit their grievances and receive feedback online once the project was launched.

Internet connectivity is something that Mr. Neo Ngwako, managing director of Abari Communications, also praised as having advantages for businesspeople. Additionally, he claimed that the connectivity initiative would enable Batswana to open virtual shops and have access to lucrative markets since they would be able to advertise and sell their goods online. “We will be able to penetrate the international market and compete with our counterparts globally,” he stated.

Mr. Thatayotlhe Seithumolo, a young leader in Maun, congratulated the administration for the initiative and called it a game-changer because it allowed people to learn online. He claimed that the project would help those who were idle because there were few career options because they would be able to do research and take on projects that would generate cash.

“Internet connectivity enables everything because it links us locally and internationally. I urge other young people to adopt it and enhance their lives,” he stated.