Some residents of Maun have appreciated President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi�s efforts towards transforming the economy of the country. They pointed out that majority of the promises he made when he ascended to the presidency had been fulfilled, citing the introduction of many focused interventions aimed at improving the livelihood of Batswana and remove systematic barriers to development as well as inadequate access to social services and economic opportunities. They aired their views after virtually watching the State-of-the-Nation Address at the main kgotla, acknowledging that the deliberation was on point as it outlined many achievements and development projects to be undertaken to improve quality of life of citizens and contribute to the growth of the economy. One of the residents, Ms Goabaone Batshogile of Kgosing ward acknowledged that while government made a significant improvement on some issues such as health, social service and roads, more focus was on agricultural sector to ensure food security. She cited the import restriction of some horticulture products aimed at promoting the domestic infant industry against relatively cheaper imports and allow for the industry to develop and become competitive in the wake of the ever-increasing trade liberalisation. The move, she said, had motivated many Batswana to develop interest in farming, noting that many ventured into irrigation farming to meet the demand. �The import restriction was a welcome development as it improved local production by enabling participation by locals along the entire value chain,� she added. Ms Batshogile further cited other interventions such as the President�s bull donation initiative, alternative breeding systems and Temo Letlotlo programme, saying all aimed towards improving agricultural output. She said government had to do more to come up with sustainable interventions to address the burning issue of human-wildlife conflict, adding that failure to do so would undermine efforts to attain food security. She said some farmers in the region were making efforts to utilise their fields effectively, but wildlife such as elephants caused destruction to crops, livestock infrastructure and human lives. She also appreciated the reconstruction of the Sehithwa-Mohembo road, whose work would commence during the course of this financial year and would be implemented through the Development Manager model. Kgosi Gokgathang Moalosi of Sankoyo also appreciated that government had strived for commercialisation of the agricultural sector in order to enable it to contribute to economic growth, diversification and achievement of food security at household and national levels. However, he concurred that government should come up with a permanent solution to address human-wildlife conflict so that communities could benefit from the available agricultural programmes. While he appreciated Temo Letlotlo programme, he said it would not benefit some communities, especially those sharing space with wildlife, adding that some recommended methods such as chilli pepper plant fences did not bear fruit as expected. He wished government could come up with unique interventions suitable for some areas, indicating that communities residing in tourism-based areas should benefit from initiatives that would encourage them to live in harmony with the animals. �We want initiatives that will promote livelihoods in the tourism sector as well as create more positive attitudes among communities towards wildlife,� he added. Kgosi Moalosi further expressed disappointment that the road connecting Shorobe and Khwai was not included among substantial investments in the transport infrastructure to connect communities and production areas. The road, he said, was economical as it was used by tourists traversing the Okavango Delta as well as operators transporting goods to different safari camps in the delta. Another resident, Mr Joe Bayei, said the SONA covered a lot of issues aimed at transforming the economy, but noted that some communities, especially in rural areas such as Sankoyo, would not participate meaningfully in some brilliant programmes, especially in the agricultural sector if the issue of human-wildlife con flict was not addressed.