BotswanaPost urged to advertise stamps at airports

The Minister of Environment Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama has urged the Botswana Post to start advertising Botswana’s heritage through stamps at the local airports.

Speaking at the BotswanaPost's new “save Botswana Vultures' stamp launch this Monday, Khama said instead of walking into Sir Siretse Khama International Airport and seeing billboards advertisements of international companies, BotswanaPost should rather take the lead in advertising its stamps on Botswana.

I call on you to start enlarging your stamps and putting them on billboards at these airports and other advertising areas. Ga re batle go bona bo Komatsu le tse dingwe re tsena ka airport ya rona. Show that you are proud of our own national heritage,” he said.

Khama said he shall motivate in his own way that the Post office continues to be supported, adding that it would be recognition of the valuable and strategic support and positioning that BotswanaPost plays in the economy of this country.

“Our Ministries (MEWT, and Transport and Communications Ministry (MTC)) need to identify where we can incorporate BotswanaPost and MTC in the fabric of these activities, to ensure maximum impact and mutual benefit to our respective mandates.

It is through efforts of BotswanaPost, through its Philately programme that we will be able to brand and communicate about our unique and rich heritage, our diverse bio-environment. It is a story worth telling, and stamps are certainly playing an active and excellent role in that regard,” Khama said.

He went onto add that Vultures have a very central role in maintaining the delicate balance of the world ecosystems. They play an active role in the food chain, aiding the cleaning of the environment ensuring that the process of circulating nutrients back to the earth continues.

It is through man’s activities that these fine magnificent birds are facing extinction. The Post Office, he said is a key component of the communication eco-system, facing the same challenges.

BotswanaPost Board Chairman, Polokoetsile Motau revealed that, one area that has seen remarkable growth in the past two years is Philately. “In the past, a year could go by with at most one stamp issue being released and at times none at all.

This means that we have missed both business opportunities and our moral duty as a party to a group of Botswana national heritage conservationists. In the last two years, the revamped philately programme managed to release five stamp issues in a year,” he said.

According to Motau, this stamp programme is part of the ‘Reinvigorating Philately’ initiative which aims at positioning BotswanaPost Philatelic Bureau as one of the best in the international market.

He added that they are  not only happy to use their stamps for conservationism efforts but also as a platform to enable the local talented artists across the nation to leverage their skills to  sell the beauty that is  Botswana, and in the process gain a meaningful living.

The vulture stamp marks the fourth Commemorative Issue of the year 2015, after Okavango Delta Heritage Listing, Abstract Art in Botswana and African Buffalo in Botswana and followed by Vervet Monkey in Botswana.