Mass Media News

Tag: Intelligence

  • WHO supports Botswana’s preparedness and response efforts for coronavirus

    WHO supports Botswana’s preparedness and response efforts for coronavirus

    Gaborone, Botswana – 04 February 2020: WHO has provided PPE kits and has ordered digital thermometers and other essentials to support key preparedness and response activities such as screening and case management. WHO Representative, Dr Josephine Namboze and technical staff continue to provide technical guidance, training and support on a daily basis in all areas of preparedness and response. All staff including cleaners, security, immigration, revenue services, restaurant workers and others at ports of entry have been trained in hygiene and infection control while health staff have received comprehensive training from surveillance, infection control to case management.

    In the last one week, the WHO Representative attended a meeting of the multi-sectoral national Public Health Emergency Coordinating Committee (PHECC) and addressed a Joint media conference with senior management from the Ministry to update the public on the coronavirus outbreak and what the world, WHO and the country are doing. She also joined the Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Lemogang Kwape to tour key facilities including the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in the capital Gaborone, the isolation facility in Block 8 and a designated bigger isolation facility Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital in case of increasing numbers of people needing isolation and management. Dr Namboze and Minister Kwape also visited the busiest land border post between Botswana and South Africa to monitor Port Health Services and motivate staff. The country currently has 5 suspected cases and has not recorded a confirmed case yet. Test results from the Regional Laboratory in South Africa will shed further light on this.

    Day to day, the Minister is constantly engaging the community including Batswana in Wuhan, China through various forms of media such as telephone, broadcast and social media. He has also engaged with the Chinese Embassy in Botswana. The Embassy is helping with translation of key documents into Chinese as large numbers of Chinese nationals coming into Botswana have difficulties understanding English.
     
    WHO co-chairs the Risk Communication and Community Engagement committee of the PHECC which advises the Minister and coordinates communication, awareness creation, social mobilization and community engagement. WHO has also briefed UN staff and partners and will continue to do so.

    Yesterday (3rd February 2020), the Minister of Health and Wellness addressed cabinet on the status of 2019-nCoV and the specific actions that have been taken as part of preparedness.

  • President Duma Boko of Botswana Joins Global Center on Adaptation Board

    President Duma Boko of Botswana Joins Global Center on Adaptation Board

    Gaborone / Rotterdam, 7 August 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is pleased to welcome Advocate Duma Boko, President of the Republic of Botswana to its Board, bringing to the table a renewed focus on climate justice, sustainable development and homegrown solutions for a continent on the frontline of the climate crisis.

    Botswana is already experiencing the sharp edge of climate change. Rising temperatures—above the global average—combined with recurring droughts, declining water tables, and land degradation threaten the country’s key sectors, from agriculture to tourism. In recent years, severe dry spells have triggered food insecurity, stressed water supplies in cities like Gaborone, and intensified the risk of desertification in already arid regions. These impacts, while local in manifestation, reflect a global emergency that demands coordinated, cross-border responses.

    President Boko’s leadership is rooted in a strong belief that climate adaptation is not merely a technical challenge—it is a political and economic imperative. His appointment signals Botswana’s growing ambition to contribute to the global adaptation agenda while securing a resilient future for its people.

    Advocate Duma Boko, President of the Republic of Botswana said: “Climate change threatens to roll back decades of progress across Africa, disrupting livelihoods, deepening inequality, and undermining the foundations of sustainable development. In Botswana, we have seen firsthand how drought, shifting weather patterns, and water scarcity affect our people, our ecosystems, and our economy. That is why I am honoured to join the Board of the Global Center on Adaptation. The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program is a critical platform to mobilize resources, partnerships, and political will needed to scale adaptation solutions that work for Africa. As a country deeply committed to climate resilience and sustainable growth, Botswana stands ready to contribute to this collective effort, to ensure that adaptation is not an afterthought, but a cornerstone of our continent’s development future.”

    The GCA Board unites global leaders who share a common mission: to integrate adaptation into core economic and development strategies. As Chair of the GCA Board, H.E. Macky Sall, Fourth President of Senegal, emphasized the critical timing of President Boko’s appointment: “Africa cannot afford to treat adaptation as an option—it is a necessity for survival and prosperity. President Boko brings a principled voice, grounded in experience, that will strengthen the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program as it scales across the continent. Botswana’s proactive stance on resilience, governance, and regional stability makes it an important partner in this collective mission.”

    Through the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP)—a joint initiative with the African Development Bank—the GCA is working to integrate adaptation into every facet of development, from resilient agriculture to youth entrepreneurship. Having already shaped over $17 billion in adaptation-aligned investments, the AAAP is shifting the narrative from vulnerability to opportunity.

    “President Boko’s appointment reflects a broader movement among African leaders who are championing adaptation not only as a protective measure, but as a driver of transformation,” said Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, President and CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “His leadership will help sharpen the focus on national ownership, inclusivity, and investment as we work to close the adaptation finance gap and accelerate progress where it is needed most.”

    President Boko joins a diverse and high-level Board of former and current heads of state, ministers, and global leaders from the public sector.