01 Mar 2015

Parliament has approved over P500 million budget proposal for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. 

Presenting the budget in Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, said the finances would be used to advance Botswana’s Interests abroad.

Of the over P500 million, about P479.6 million would be the recurrent budget, which she said had increased by 6.9 per cent which translates to P32 million when compared to 2014/2015 approved budget. The increase, she said, was attributable to annual escalation on rentals adding that replacement of representational cars and utility vehicles in Foreign Missions also caused the increase. 

Dr Venson-Moitoi said just about half of the recurrent budget which is P202.8 million will be used for personnel emoluments which includes salaries, Foreign Service allowances, medical allowances and remuneration for locally recruited staff in diplomatic missions. 

She noted that the other chunk which constitutes about 49.7 percent of the recurrent budget was requested for general expenses and supplies, travel and transportation costs, maintenance and running expenses and replacement vehicles. She added that the remaining amount which is P33.8 million will be for education allowances for diplomatic staff.

The proposed development budget which she said was P38.6 million included the construction of a Chancery in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a project which includes architectural services as well as supervision of the project will use up the larger amount of the development budget costing P25 million. 

While over P8 million will cover innovations of government owned properties at 8 different missions; United States of America, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Belgium, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom and China. Further she said P2.5 million was requested for renovation of the New York Chancery.

Still under the development budget P3 million was required to roll out the GABS financial system software to Botswana missions abroad which will be a continuation from the preceding financial year of which the finances will go into maintenance and operating the software and related developments. ENDS