28 Feb 2016

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi has requested Parliament to approve over P31 million and over P491 million for the development and recurrent budgets for the 2016/17 financial year.

Presenting the ministry’s budget proposals, Dr Venson-Moitoi said under the development budget P18 million would be used for the construction of a chancery in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and that the roll out of the Government Accounting and Budget System (GABS) to Botswana missions would be allocated P2.7 million.

She noted that there was marked progress in the construction of the chancery in Addis Ababa. 

She explained that the roll out of GABS had been deferred to the next financial year to allow for the completion of software upgrade by the relevant ministry.

The minister said over P1million would be used to renovate the office building in Botswana’s embassy in New York while P9million would be used to carry out extensive renovations of government owned property in Washington DC.

The allocation, she explained, would be used to undertake major maintenance works whose nature and magnitude, she said, went beyond the normal minor maintenance budget allocation under the recurrent budget.

Under the recurrent budget, she explained that there was a supplementary provision of P1.8million which was used for contributions to international appeal in the current financial year. 

That, she said, resulted in a warranted provision of over P481 million. 

She also explained that of the total supplementary provision, P1.5million was used to contribute towards the humanitarian situation in Malawi and Mozambique while P300 000 was used for emergency funding in Vanuatu after the country was hit by a cyclone.

Furthermore, she explained that of the proposed amount, over P237million would be used for personal emoluments including basic salary, allowances; mainly foreign service and medical as well as remuneration for locally recruited staff in the respective diplomatic missions.

The remaining amount of over P254 million, she said, would cover other costs including education allowances, general expenses and supplies, travel and transportation, maintenance and running expenses as well as replacement of vehicles.

Meanwhile, the minister noted that the proposed recurrent budget for the next financial year represented an increase of over P12million over the 2015/2016 budget.

She said it was necessitated by various factors which included payments of gratuities and increases in employer’s contribution to social security and superannuation funds while other charges were increased due to property rent and rates for missions.ENDS