China sponsors agriculture project in Botswana village

An agriculture project sponsored by China-Africa People-to-People Friendship Action on Tuesday was handed over to Kangwe Village, southern Botswana.

Under the action, Chinese Enterprises Association in Botswana has been helping Kangwe village leveling soil by employing specialized company and local villagers since August. The project has been completed on time, and the newly developed 40-hectare farm will be given to 20 Kangwe villagers to grow crops.

"It is known that agriculture development is one of the key priorities for Botswana's development strategy. So after careful evaluation and consideration, the Action chose to sponsor Kangwe Village and Chinese Enterprises Association in Botswana for this agriculture project," said Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Zheng Zhuqiang at the ceremony.

The Association is encouraging the Chinese enterprises to not only provide good quality service and products, but also fulfill their social responsibility by supporting Botswana's agriculture development, youth empowerment, poverty alleviation, among others, said Zheng.

He further said the Chinese government and China-Africa People-to-People Friendship Action will continue to support the local NGOs and their efforts for the social development of Botswana.

China-Africa People-to-People Friendship Action was officially launched by the Chinese government in 2013. The action aims at encouraging and supporting non-governmental and civil organizations from China and Africa to further develop people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

Since 2013, the Action has already supported 5 local projects in Botswana.

Botswana Assistant Minister of Agriculture Kgotla Autlwetse thanked the Chinese side and local villagers for their efforts to deliver the project and encouraged the villagers to advance agriculture through utilizing the farm.

Kgolo Malope II, one of the eight paramount chiefs in Botswana, also expressed his gratitude to the Chinese.

It's happy to see 20 villagers can benefit from the project through Chinese Enterprises Association's efforts, said Zhu Decheng, Deputy Chairman of Chinese Enterprises Association in Botswana, adding that the association and its members have been committing to Botswana's development with carrying out such projects every year.

Chinese Enterprises Association in Botswana was established by around 30 Chinese companies, most of which are state-owned companies from China. The total amount of donations made by the Association has accumulated to around 1 million pula (100,000 U.S. dollars). Enditem