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From 6 July 2006, a graphic version of the current edition is available at the Daily News Online web site.

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Apart from holding bilateral talks with President Sellapan Nathan of Singapore and his Prime Minister Lee Loong on Tuesday, Mr Mogae visited the Singapore Civil Service College, the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and the National Orchid Garden.

On Wednesday, the president visited the International Trade Institute of Singapore, the Singapore Technologies Electronics, which has a subsidiary in Gaborone, and Jurong Point where he witnessed the Botswana cultural awareness event marked by performances by music groups: Matsieng and Wizards of the Desert.

The two groups have been entertaining Singaporeans since Monday to give impetus to the campaign to make world citizens know about Botswana.

Officials of the civil service college told Mr Mogae that the institute, which offers customised training and workshops and runs participants-based courses, has built partnerships and programmes with overseas governments.

The number of foreigners who trained at the civil service college was 413 in 2000, it went up to 906 in 2003 and has been increasing ever since.

Mr Mogae and his delegation heard that the Singapore Civil Service College became a statutory board in 2001. This was to reduce the many restrictions that it had when it was functioning as a government department.

The institute trained 50 000 local and foreign students during its last financial year. The Singapore Civil Service College does not maintain the same courses for a long time.

This ensures that it remain relevant to the needs of its clients. Most of the courses it offers run for two days.

At the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, Mr Mogae heard from one of its officials, Mr Allan Ng, that it was set up in May this year in response to requests by foreign governments who wanted their nationals to learn from the countrys development phenomenon.

The organisation works with all the countrys 15 ministries and targets nations that would like to gain knowledge from Singapores public sector.

Mr Mogae left one of the plants named after him at the orchid garden. Dr Loh Sing, the chief executive officer of the International Trade Institute of Singapore, told President Mogae that the six-year-old entity promotes economic trade and development.

He said the institute has worked with Mozambique to improve the customs system. The president commented that Botswana wasted a lot of money in the 1980s by offering grants to foreign investors.

As a result, fly-by-night investors came to take the money and left the country after five years.

At present, Botswana offers a 200 per cent tax deduction for costs that employers incurred in training Batswana.

The Singapore Technologies Electronics, which specialises in systems solutions, has offered its high-tech wisdom to the Botswana Defence Force, the Botswana Police Service and the Department of Geological Survey.

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