Mmegi

Koboto flies Botswana flag high

As CCFAH successfully mobilized over P340 billion The target is to achieve US$ 500m by April 2024

Dr. Oduetse Koboto Dikarabo Ramadubu

The Mauritius- based Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub ( CCFAH) has managed to mobilise over P340 billion in climate finance for 13 countries.

This feat, achieved within a short period, is thanks to the able leadership of former Permanent Secretary to the now Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Dr. Oduetse Koboto, who heads the Hub.

CCFAH was established in 2015 through a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting ( CHOGM) decision and operationalised in 2016.

Koboto’s role is managing the Hub to ensure that vulnerable states of the Commonwealth access climate finance from international climate finance mechanisms. Through national advisers that they deploy the Hub helps in designing bankable projects and robust project pipeline, policy development support to ensure an enabling environment for investment on the ground, human and institutional capacity building and accreditation support.

The latest report about CCFAH coming from both the Mauritius Broadcasting Commission and the Commonwealth Secretariat is that by 30 May 2023, the Hub had mobilised over US$ 250 million about P345 billion in climate finance for 13 countries.

The Commonwealth Secretariat highlighted the success of CCFAH as their flagship project led by Botswana’s Koboto. Its main objective is to enhance access to international climate finance through technical assistance to member states that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change for project proposal development, policy support, knowledge management and learning and Gender and Youth mainstreaming.

The initiative is supported by the governments of Australia and United Kingdom and governed through a Steering Committee constituted by representatives from African, Asian and Caribbean countries amongst others.

In August 2022, during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ( UNFCCC) Global NAP Expo held in Gaborone, the CCFAH reported that US$ 56 million in climate finance has already been mobilised. The latest means that in less than one year, the Hub has managed to mobilise over US$ 200 million.

In an interview with Botswana Guardian, Koboto attributed this feat to “turnaround strategies, building partnerships, effective leadership and teamwork”, he said, adding that the target is to achieve US$ 500 million in April 2024 “which is not going to be easy but doable.”

Records show that Koboto is synonymous with high performance. In November 2019 when he ascended to the highest seat in the now Ministry of Environment and Tourism on acting capacity before being confirmed as Permanent Secretary in 2020, he managed to enhance the Ministry performance from six percent to 87 percent in one year. This was reported in the Committee of Supply Speech for the Ministry presented in 2021 before parliament.

As the then youngest Permanent Secretary, Koboto demonstrated the potential of Batswana youth in leadership positions, and he continues to do so internationally raising the Botswana flag high. It is highly believed that he remains one of Botswana’s youngest leaders based abroad.

In his current role, Koboto is leading Climate Finance Experts deployed in 16 countries and two regional offices in South Africa and India. Koboto remains an asset to the Commonwealth Secretariat. Recently, he led training for the climate change negotiators in Mauritius in preparation for their effective participation at COP 28 to be held in Dubai on 30 November 2023.

The training was held in collaboration with the Government of Mauritius, UK High Commission and Indian Ocean Commission. While with UNDP Botswana, Koboto used to conduct high level capacity building initiatives including Forensic Investigation on Environmental Crimes, Environmental Compliance, Sustainable Land Management, among others.

The Sefhare village native started his career as a Police Constable. He later left the Police Service to pursue his law degree in South Africa where he also completed his Master’s degree in law. He would then graduate with a Doctoral degree in Law from China specialising in Climate Change issues. He is also decorated with other qualifications including Sustainable Climate Finance from University of London, Environmental Audits from ICISA in India and International Business Transactions from Harvard Law School.

He served as a Prosecutor at the DPP before being seconded to the Ministry of Environment and Tourism as the legal Adviser. Upon completion of his PHD, Dr. Koboto became the youngest Director for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks before joining the United Nations Development Programme as the Head of Environment and Climate Change Division.

In April 2019, Dr. Koboto re- joined the government as Deputy Permanent Secretary and became the Acting PS in November of the same year. He is now the Manager and Adviser for the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub hosted by Mauritius, the role he assumed in April 2022.

In Africa, CCFAH has already supported countries like Namibia, ESwatini, Zambia and Mauritius among others.

BG NEWS

en-bw

2023-06-09T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-09T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://enews.mmegi.bw/article/281616719765493

Dikgang Publishing