17 Apr 2013

Government anticipates spending a total of P5.8 billion on social upliftment programmes during the remainder of National Development Plan (NDP) 10.

The Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi disclosed to Parliament when tabling a midterm review on social upliftment chapter on Tuesday.

Mr Masisi, who is chairman of the Social Upliftment Thematic Working Group, stated that major programmes under the group were poverty eradication, health and HIV/AIDS.

 He emphasised that the primary objective of the poverty eradication programme was to assist individuals rise above abject poverty through sustainable income generation initiatives. He added that it aimed to build capacity through skills development and promotion of small scale entrepreneurship development.

“Approximately P560 million will be required for the implementation of this programme,” said the minister. He explained to Parliament that the programme had made strides since inception.

Mr Masisi said phase one of the backyard gardening initiative, which commenced in January 2011 had already identified and trained 7 865 beneficiaries and covered 15 constituencies. He said beneficiaries were trained in setting-up and running backyard gardens.

The minister further explained that phase two, which introduced 22 alternative packages projects such as bakery, poultry, small-stock, piggery and bee-keeping had identified 5 729 beneficiaries.

“Training workshops commonly referred to as dipitso are being held throughout the country in order to create awareness and popularise interventions that are appropriate for different localities. Optimisation strategies are thus being employed to ensure that each locality leverages on its comparative advantages,” noted the minister.

The alternative packages initiative was rolled out in the 2012/13 financial year.  The minister said government would provide further support to the poverty eradication programme during the remainder of NDP 10 by enhancing market accessibility for beneficiaries’ products through establishment of markets and enhanced government purchasing.

Again, it wiould complete the Poverty Eradication Policy Framework, which would harmonise current social development policies. Furthermore, the minister said government would implement the local economic development initiatives, as well as community resilience programme to generate employment, maintenance of social safety nets and promotion of social cohesion.

On the health and HIV/AIDS programme, the minister said interventions that would be implemented in the remaining three years of NDP 10 were estimated to cost P785 million. He said focus would be on scaling up and strengthening the national response with major emphasis on prevention, in order to reduce new HIV infections and ensure sustainability.

He said Botswana had done well towards attainment of access to better health care with 95 per cent of the total population living within a radius of 15 kilometres of a health facility.

He added that Botswana was on target of eliminating malaria by 2015. Furthermore, the minister said maternal mortality had reduced from 326 per 100 000 live births in 1990 to 189 per 100 000 live births by 2011.

“However this is still very high and efforts are ongoing to ensure that no woman should die whilst giving birth to life. Similarly child mortality is also high and we continue to implement innovative interventions to reverse this trend,” he said.

Other projects under this chapter that would continue during the remaining three years of NDP 10, according to the minister, were the roll out of Youth Empowerment Scheme, agriculture support schemes that will be funded by approximately P980 million, low income housing that will receive P255 million, youth, sport and culture at P141 million, ipelegeng programme at P1.7 billion, and Remote Area Development Programme at P3.9 million.

Mr Masisi said through the social upliftment chapter, government wanted to ensure a dignified life for all citizens through delivery of programmes that uplifts Batswana who are economically or socially vulnerable.

“Social upliftment in this context is linked with the vision pillars of building a compassionate, just and caring, educated and informed, united, proud, moral and tolerant, as well as prosperous, productive and innovative nation.”ENDS