10 Mar 2015

The Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, Mr Nonofo Molefhi, has asked Parliament to approve his ministry budget totalling P958 million for the 2015/16 financial year. 

Presenting the budget proposals on March 9, Minister Molefhi said of the total amount, P411. 8 million was for recurrent while P546 million was for development. 

Under the recurrent budget, the ministry headquarters had been allocated 29 per cent or P141.9 million to be shared amongst Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI), Engineers Registration Board, Quantity Surveyors and Architects Registration councils, personal emoluments and for other charges. 

BITRI is to receive P58.3 million while the Engineers Registration Board has been allocated P6. 2million.  Quantity Surveyors and Architects Registration Councils have been allocated P2. 7million and P1. 4 million respectively. 

The minister said about P17 million would be spent on personal emoluments while P15, 4million is to be spent on other charges. 

The Department of Buildings and Engineering Services (DBES) has been allocated P250 million and the minister said following decentralisation of minor maintenance of government facilities to individuals ministries, P135, 3 million has thus been distributed and his ministry would be left with P14, 4 million to maintain its facilities. 

The Department of Research, Science and Technology has been allocated P7, 3 million out of which P4, 4 million is for personal emoluments and P2, 9 million for other charges.  Minister Molefhi has also requested P12,5 million for recurrent budget for Radiation Protection Protectorate. 

From this amount, P7,4 million is for personal emoluments and P5 million is for other charges.  Talking about the development budget, the minister said the P546 million represents an increase of P123, 3 million over the 2014/15 financial year allocation. 

This amount would be used for the rehabilitation of government buildings, construction of Science and Technology Parks as well as Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH) initiatives for the development of innovation and technology support programmes, construction of a permanent structure for disused radiation sources and for Research and Development programmes. 

The lion’s share of the development budget at P287. 2 million has thus been allocated to Government Building Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Services and BIH has been allocated P150 million. 

BITRI has been allocated P70 million while the remaining P39, 1 million is allocated to Atomic Energy Usage and radiation Protection, Research, Science and Technology, fleet expansion, MIST consultancies and computerisation projects. ENDS