Assistant Minister of Lands and Agriculture Motsamai Motsamai has strongly urged Batswana to preserve their land as a long-term economic asset rather than sell it, encouraging landowners to consider leasing or go into joint ventures to unlock its economic potential.
Motsamai made the call on Tuesday during the official opening of the Naledi Vegetable and Fruits Market in Gaborone North. He emphasised the importance of retaining land ownership while creating opportunities for investment and sustainable livelihoods.
He said land remained one of the most important assets Batswana could use to build wealth, develop businesses and improve their living standards. Rather than relinquishing ownership for immediate financial gain, landowners should explore ways of generating income through productive partnerships. His remarks echo longstanding government concerns about land transfers from citizens to non-citizens, particularly where such transactions risk undermining citizens’ ability to build lasting wealth. Previous ministers have raised concerns that selling plots to foreigners could disempower citizens, undermining the objective of empowering Batswana through access to land for residential and productive purposes.
The issue remains significant as Botswana seeks to expand economic participation and ensure land contributes to sustainable development. Landowners considering leasing arrangements or joint ventures must also understand the legal and commercial implications of their agreements and comply with applicable land regulations.
Meanwhile, addressing farmers and other stakeholders, Motsamai called for deliberate efforts to strengthen agricultural production, improve market access, promote value addition and encourage private-sector participation. This he said will ensure farmers benefit meaningfully from the agricultural economy.
“Food security is not achieved only through large commercial farms. It is also built through the small farmer, the emerging farmer, the young entrepreneur, the woman cultivating vegetables and the family business supplying fresh produce to the community. Every producer has a role to play,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of attracting young people to agriculture, urging them to view the sector as a viable business opportunity rather than a last resort.
Opportunities, he noted, extended beyond farming into logistics, cold storage, food processing, packaging, technology, marketing, financial services and retail. Developing these interconnected activities would help create a comprehensive agricultural ecosystem capable of supporting commercially viable enterprises and generating employment. Motsamai also highlighted the importance of partnerships between government, financial institutions and the private sector in helping agricultural entrepreneurs access the support needed to grow their businesses. The collaboration between Naledi Vegetable and Fruits Market and Absa Bank Botswana demonstrated how stakeholders could work together to strengthen the agricultural value chain.
He further underscored the importance of food security, noting that Botswana needed to strengthen local food production and establish reliable channels for delivering produce to consumers.
“Food security is not achieved only through large commercial farms. It is also built through the small farmer, the emerging farmer, the young entrepreneur, the woman cultivating vegetables and the family business supplying fresh produce to the community. Every producer has a role to play,” he said.
Motsamai urged consumers to support locally produced fruits and vegetables, noting that buying local produce helped sustain farmers’ businesses, create employment and keep money circulating within the domestic economy.
He said the opening of Naledi Market represented a broader ambition to build an agricultural sector that was productive, market-oriented, commercially viable and inclusive, creating opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs while contributing to Botswana’s economic diversification.
