19 Feb 2015

Parliament has approved a total of P946, 383, 410 as budget of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) for the 2015/16 financial year.

The budget, tabled by assistant minister Mr Vincent Seretse on Wednesday, February 18 includes P925, 383, 410 recurrent and P21, 000, 000 development budgets.

The P743, 253, 920 of the recurrent budget will be spent by the ministry’s parastatals such as Botswana Bureau of Standards, Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency, Competition Authority, Gambling Authority, Local Enterprise Authority, SPEDU, and Companies and Intellectual Property Authority.

The P21 million development budget will be shared by the ministry’s computerisation, consultancies, infrastructure and facilities projects.

Debating the budget before it was approved, MP of Francistown West, Mr Ignatius Moswaane urged government to develop legislation that would prevent big retail stores from stalling small businesses.

Mr Moswaane said the Ministry was facing massive challenge of improving lives of the poor.

He complained that big chain stores and wholesalers have been allowed to compete with general dealers, noting that some chain stores sell everything including fat cakes. 

“They are taking opportunities away from Batswana and the general dealers have collapsed,” he said.

He also asked the ministry of trade to stop issuing trade licenses to foreigners to sell things that could be sold by Batswana like stationery, television sets, radios, and electric appliances.

The MP of Gaborone Central, Mr Phenyo Butale said the way government handled the alcohol levy was worrisome.

He said the millions of Pula in alcohol levy that Kgalagadi Breweries Limitedgave to government every month should be channeled through treasury of all government revenues so that it was clear what the money was used for andhow it benefited people.

Mr Butale also asked the ministry to develop a Citizen Economic Empowerment Act to replace the policy that was being used.

“The act should lead to very clear targets of how we want to achieve citizen economic empowerment,” he said.

The MP of Ramotswa, Mr Samuel Rantuana called for re-adjustment of liquor selling hours, noting that the current time frame was too short and affected the ability of alcohol industry to operate. He said the reduced selling hours had resulted in loss of business, leading to loss of employment and called for the reduction of the alcohol levy.

The MP of Kgalagadi North, Mr Itumeleng Moipisi asked the ministry of trade to build CEDA offices in his constituency to bring the services of the agency closer to them.

He said his constituents were currently forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to access CEDA services in Kanye.

The MP of Okavango, Mr Bagalatia Arone MP Okavango cautioned government to avoid the practice of deporting foreigners because it defeats the campaign of attracting investors to Botswana. 

“The rate at which we are sending foreigners out is actually bad because we need those people to come here and help us develop our country,” he said.

He also said instead of reducing liquor trading hours as a way of controlling alcohol consumption, government should instead put up strategies for ensuring that Batswana were educated on dangers of excessive drinking. ENDS