03 Feb 2020

  Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services has been allocated the largest share of the proposed development budget, mainly to support initiatives geared towards improvement of water supply and management in the country.

Delivering the budget speech in Parliament yesterday, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Dr Thapelo Matsheka said the water projects accounted for P1.90 billion or 83 per cent of the ministry’s allocation.

These include the North-South Carrier 2 from Palapye - Mmamashia - Gaborone, which is meant to provide water to the southern part of Botswana, Kanye north-south water connection, Moshupa sanitation project, land servicing at Mochudi, emergency water security and efficiency project partly funded through the World Bank.

Dr Matsheka said the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security was allocated the second largest share at P1.94 billion or 16.14 per cent. 

He said the bulk of the proposed budget would go to the Botswana Defence Force for their assets, vehicles as well as defence and communication equipment.

He said the balance would be shared between the Botswana Police Service to cater for the construction of police stations and staff houses as well as the Department of Prisons and Rehabilitation Services for the provision of prisons infrastructure, equipment and storage facilities.

He said the third-largest share was allocated to the Ministry of Transport and Communications at P1.62 billion or 13.51 per cent. 

Dr Matsheka said the budget was mainly for major roads and bridge projects including Mohembo Bridge, construction of three intersections along the KT Motsete Drive in Gaborone, Mogoditshane-Gabane-Mmankgodi road, Gaborone-Boatle dualling, Mulambakwena-Tshesebe, Dibete-Mookane-Machaneng, Mmandunyane-Shashe Mooke-Mathangwane, Makalamabedi-Matopi bitumen roads as well as traffic control for the Greater Gaborone area. 

The budget also caters for government ICT projects.

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development took the fourth largest share at P1.25 billion or 10.41 per cent in order to ‘continue implementation of social protection programmes and village infrastructure projects’.

The proposed programmes and projects under the ministry include primary school backlog eradication programme, community development projects, internal roads and tribal administration infrastructure development.

The fifth-largest share at P1.09 billion or 9.05 per cent is allocated to the Ministry of Minerals Resources, Green Technology and Energy to cater for the ongoing north west transmission grid connection, rural electrification, Morupule B remedial works and transmission works for Mochudi, Government Enclave and Gaborone Central.

The Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security has been allocated the sixth largest share at P976.17 million or 8.12 per cent. 

This amount will cover major projects such as ISPAAD, LIMID and refurbishment of Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

He said government would reorient all programmes including agricultural programmes to improve productivity in their delivery and impact on beneficiaries.

The remaining P3.07 billion or 25.55 per cent will be shared by the remaining ministries and departments to cater for major projects. ENDS