11 Mar 2020

It is possible for Botswana to attain upper middle status by 2036 if the economy steadily grows by six per cent, says Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM) director

Addressing public officers in Molepolole on March 10, Ms Goitseone Mosalakatane said the country’s economic growth had been at four per cent for quite some time now.

That, she said, was not considered good enough given the ambitious economic growth outlook for the country. 

In addition, Ms Mosalakatane said the country’s per capita income was still low and could be improved if the economy was export-led. 

To achieve that, human capital development, efficient use of resources, digitization and employee engagement were needed, she said.  She implored public servants to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) given the world’s uncertainties. 

She said 4IR would affect the future of work and the way “we do things” stressing that it would not be business as usual.

As a result, Ms Mosalakatane said there was need for upskilling and retooling of the workforce for a successful digital transformation in government.  She acknowledged a myriad of challenges that impeded service delivery but commended public officers for doing more with fewer resources at their disposal. 

Ms Mosalakatane said it was possible to bring back the glory days when the country was regarded as a shining example and at one point the fastest growing economy. 

On other issues, she stated that the PEMANDU negotiations were still ongoing while a new remuneration policy was on the cards. 

Ms Marea Malebang, a staff representative, said public officers in Molepolole were experiencing a shortage of manpower, accommodation and non-progression as well as severe scarcity of water.  

Other public officers reiterated that non-progression as well as other mentioned challenges hampered service delivery and demoralised public officers. 

Still others complained about difficulties encountered in claiming reimbursement after they had gone for further studies. 

Mr Seabe Kegoetswe implored DPSM to encourage departments to go paperless in order to achieve digital transformation.

He said most departments still worked with huge files that often got lost or misplaced. Ends