04 Jun 2014

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation permanent secretary, Mr Lapologang Lekoa says absence of a foreign policy document does not mean that the policy does not exist. 


Submitting before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on June 3, he said there was no how the foreign policy could not be applied as it was based on issues of national interest.


He said during the middle or towards the end of the year, the ministry will have a draft that will be presented to government. He said the ministry had already had an exchange of views with different stakeholders including political parties and held seminars with interest groups. 


He said the draft will also be circulated to ministries and relevant stakeholders as well as conducting dipitso to engage the public and BIDPA to make an input on scientific interpretation of views.


Mr Lekoa further said with regards to VISAs, his ministry was working with home affairs ministry to come up with a strategy to liberalise the VISA regime in Botswana to make it easier for people to visit Botswana without undue delays.

He said the idea was recently gazetted for the approval of 10 types of VISAs.
 “This was meant to ensure that we don’t subject people who maybe coming just to visit to the same requirements as people coming for study or other various reasons,” he said.

He said they had come up with official, diplomatic, employment, official investment, tourist, study, visitors, business and transit visas to facilitate, unblock and reduce the bureaucracy of long questions relating to people coming here.


PAC member, Mr Moiseraele Goya had wanted to know what the ministry was doing to ensure there was an approving authority in South Africa, with regards to VISAs as people had to come all the way to Botswana for the service.


On other issues, Mr Lekoa said the ability of embassies interacting with Batswana was a welcome advice and that the ministry will look at the practicality of doing so.
 PAC member, Mr Phillip Makgalemele had argued that Batswana were not sensitised on the mandate of envoys representing Botswana outside the country. 


Mr Lekoa said although the envoys never conducted kgotla meetings to touch base with Batswana, the ministry was making an effort of reaching out to the public through the Radio Botswana’s foreign window programme and Tokafatso Maduo.


Mr Lekoa further said with regards to selling the country or attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), his ministry does not work as a silo, but was working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre.


He said the ministry was responsible for trade legislation and BITC was responsible for advocating for a level playing field so that Botswana can lure investors better from abroad.

The ministry through its missions abroad was doing the lobbying.
He said this was done on a value chain concept and that all the concerned authorities have had a dialogue on how they can strengthen relationship that will enable them to maximise their strengths and minimize the costs to avoid duplication of roles.


Mr Goya had wanted to know if there was no duplication of roles as attraction of foreign investors was also done by the ministry of trade.
 Mr Lekoa further said the ministry has agreed to streamline their activities such that they maximise their strengths and avoid duplication of roles and that in the past three years, the ministry managed to get more resources targeted for promotional activities which he said was an improvement for heading towards attracting FDI.


“For the first time now, our ministry has got a vote for promotional material,” he said.
 He said they were doing targeted approaches in their promotions by looking at maximum benefits in terms of FDI as economies of the countries were not the same.
Another PAC member Mr Kentse Rammidi had wanted to know what the ministry was doing in devising aggressive approach as far as attracting FDI was concerned.


On other issues PAC expressed concern over expenditure that was spent on Foreign Service allowance that it should be budgeted for, as it catered for the welfare of employees.
It was indicated in the report that there was over expenditure of P1.2million on Foreign Service allowance for the financial year 2012/13.  ENDS