23 Jul 2017

Parliament has been told that the women economic empowerment scheme did not have a special dispensation from government allocation during the period preceding 2012.

Answering a question in parliament on July 21, Minister Edwin Batshu of nationality, immigration and gender affairs said funding for the scheme was subsumed within the National Gender Programme allocation.

He explained  that from 1998 to 2003, the programme was funded at P300 000 per year, and that from 2003 to 2010 it was funded at P1.4 million per year.

He stated that from 2010 to 2012 it was funded at P6.2 million while it was funded at P11 million  during the 2012/13 financial year; which he said constituted five per cent of the alcohol levy.

“Since 2012, the programme has been financed under the alcohol levy. Funding started with five per cent of the collection and was increased to 10 per cent in 2014/15 averaging P25.2 million per year,” he explained.

The minister added that for the 2017/18 financial year, the programme was allocated P30 million under the recurrent budget to augment funding from the alcohol levy.

Minister Batshu pointed out that since 1999, 45 successful businesses had graduated from his ministry’s mentorship after demonstrating the ability to penetrate the economic mainstream.

He added that from 1998 to date, 1 048 projects had been assisted through the programme, and that 5 200 jobs had been created at a cost of P155.5 million.

Mr Batshu said the last intensive monitoring carried out by his ministry indicated 75 per cent success rate, while 16 per cent were barely surviving and nine per cent had collapsed.

Minister Batshu, who is also Nkange MP, said the latest reviews of the scheme resulted in a high uptake of the programme.

“The total number of applications received were 4 478, and by January 2017 we had a backlog of 3 825. The backlog, which was continuously increasing prompted suspension of receipt of applications effective February 1,2017,” he stated.

The minister explained that to date, a total of 708 applications had been approved for funding; saying these were anticipated to create employment for 1 416 beneficiaries.

Mr Batshu said his ministry had since made deliberate effort to address the backlog through rigorous engagement of the Project Assessment Committees and the District Economic Development Committees.

Gaborone MP, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the minister to state the number of projects assisted under the programme, the number of beneficiaries, funding disbursed to date and the extent of the waiting list.

Mr Nkaigwa also asked the minister as to when the last funding was made as well as when new applications would be received. ENDS