05 Feb 2018

Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Kenneth Matambo says building an inclusive society is one of the broad-based strategic intervention areas for the 2018/19 budget.

He said there was a need for investment in human capital and empowerment of citizens through the development of strategies and initiatives that provide them with opportunities to live dignified lives.

In his delivery of the budget for the 2018/19 financial year yesterday, the minister explained that a critical component of human capital development was investment in education, adding that government’s commitment in the area was evidenced by the significant investment that had been made towards education over the past decades.

He noted that P15 billion was proposed for education and training in the coming financial year. However, he expressed concern that challenges related to the quality and relevance of education and training continued to affect the education sector.

Mr Matambo said to address some of the challenges, government through the Botswana Qualifications Authority (BQA) would be enforcing quality assurance measures as part of the implementation of its regulations in the education sector.

“Furthermore, the transformation of Botswana College of Open and Distance Learning into the Botswana Open University in 2017 has increased access to tertiary education and training which enhances inclusivity of society,” said Mr Matambo

He said “the expanded scope of the programmes offered by the open university will cater for the diverse training needs of the economy.”

Mr Matambo said investing in human health was another important component of building an inclusive society.

He said it was for this reason that government had over the years invested substantial amounts of its annual budgets on health, as it considered this a basic need.

He said a continuation of the expenditure trend on health of P8.2 billion was proposed for the sector for the 2018/19 budget to finance various programmes and projects, including HIV/AIDS approved interventions such as the treat all strategy.

Mr Matambo also addressed the provision of decent housing and shelter, labelling it another key component of building an inclusive society.

He said government would continue to implement housing programmes suitable for different segments of society, citing the SHHA housing scheme, destitute housing scheme, installment purchase scheme and BHC Turnkey development scheme.

Mr Matambo said P250 million had been proposed for allocation towards SHHA and the destitute housing schemes.

Mr Matambo also commended President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama for his campaign for the provision of decent shelter for deserving individuals and families through the Presidential Housing Appeal. ENDS