The Japanese ambassador to Botswana, Hiroyasu Kobayashi, has said that Botswana is poised for economic growth, once Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is fully exploited in areas such as e-health and e-commerce.

Citing the latest connectivity of the country to the West Africa Cable System (WACS), the ambassador told delegates attending Botswana’s ICT consultative forum under the banner ‘Innovative Service Delivery through ICT’ that the country should emulate Japan and streamline ICT in all business.

“There is possibility for ICT to contribute significantly to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth, attract foreign (investment), provide problem solving solutions and catapult innovation in other sectors,” said ambassador Kobayashi.

Kobayashi highlighted that Japan’s ICT sector currently contributes to 9.2% of the country’s GDP. He further added that the industry employs over 3.8 million workers in that country.

Botswana entered into a joint venture with its neighbour Namibia and invested in the WACS cable system. Gaborone and Windhoek invested $37.5 million each in the $650 million cable and own 9.2% of the project.