GABORONE, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's president Mokgweetsi Masisi on Sunday renamed three infrastructural facilities built by different Chinese firms in Francistown, Botswana's second largest city and hailed them for their active participation in the country's economic growth.
The three projects included an interchange, locally known as the spaghetti road, the Francistown Sports Complex and the Francistown International Airport.
The interchange has been renamed to Kenneth Nkhwa Interchange while the sports complex is now called Obert Itani Chilume Stadium and the airport is now known as Philip Matante International Airport.
"Road infrastructural developments are key drivers behind economic growth of any country including Botswana. And I have to hail the Chinese construction companies for their active participation in Botswana's economic activities," said Masisi during the renaming exercise.
Masisi said the road infrastructure will play a leading role in the transportation of people, goods and services to and from the rural areas to towns and cities.
"For us to compete effectively with other countries, we need state-of-the-art roads and airports like the ones constructed by the Chinese firms," said Masisi.
With this kind of facilities, the Chinese companies have assisted the government of Botswana to create an enabling environment for big investors to consider the southern African country and create employment opportunities for its citizens.
