The newly established Ministry of Sport an Arts (MOSA) under the guidance of Minister Jacob Kelebeng has today on Saturday met with National Sports Associations (NSAs ) and other key sport stakeholders dubbed Sports Pitso to set the new strategy and key focus areas at Ditshupo Hall in Gaborone.
When welcoming the delegates, Minister Kelebeng emphasised that the Pitso offers an opportunity to engage, particularly to discuss issues that are critical in the delivery of world class sport products and services. The 2025 Sport Pitso presents an opportunity for the ministry to obtain a clear mandate from sports persons, sports administrators and all other persons involved in the running of sport.
“We have to engage intensely and robustly. If we fail to do so, then our efforts here today will be futile. Our Ministry is charged with the responsibility to transform the delivery of sport and recreation by ensuring universal and equitable access, systematic development and excellence at all levels of participation and competition, and to harness the socio-economic benefits that can uplift the lives of all Batswana”.
Kelebeng further said as the new government, the ministry was crafted as it became evident that there is potential of the sports sector to generate much needed jobs in our economy.
Currently, the Ministry is in the process of developing the Sport and Creative Sector Strategy that is intended to ensure that there is a strong and coordinated legal and regulatory framework, adequate and sustainable resourcing, sufficient infrastructure and institutional setting, and systemic training and development of the sports and creative industry players. This will unlock job opportunities across the Sport and Creative Sector value chains.
“As we rethink, for today we focus primarily on four areas, sport funding, the BNSC act, school sport and national hosting strategy. Our National Sporting Associations rely heavily on Government grants, and with a diversity of competing priorities, financial resources are limited. It is therefore essential that alternative sources of funding are exploited. The private sector is at our disposal and are potential partners in the delivery of sport programmes and projects. As leaders in sport, we should strive to tap into this potential source of funding. However, we must ensure that as the sport sector, whenever we call for such investment from the private sector, we have a product that is attractive”, concluded Kelebeng.
The Pitso is attended by the NSAs, BNSC, BNOC and other sport stakeholders.
