12 Mar 2020

Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation Dr Unity Dow  has presented to Parliament, her ministry’s 2020/21 budget proposals of over P758 million.

Dr Dow said over P640 million was for the recurrent budget while P118. 9 million was for development budget.

The recurrent budget, she said, increased by 4.8 per cent over the approved budget provision for the financial year 2019/2020 which stood at over P570 million.

The minister explained that over P316 million was for personal emoluments such as payment of basic salaries, Foreign Service and medical allowances, education allowances and remuneration for locally recruited staff in respective diplomatic missions.

The remaining P398.6 million, she said, would be for other charges; property rentals for both mission offices and residences at missions, general expenses and supplies as well as travel and transportation costs.

The increased recurrent budget, Dr Dow noted, made provision for activities that promote and advance Botswana’s interests and development agenda.

She said as the ministry’s responsibilities grew and the needs of the country evolved, there would be greater demands on the budget, as the ministry embarked on more economic diplomacy engagements.

Dr Dow indicated that the development budget provision reflected an increase of 10 per cent. She pointed out that 50 per cent of the development budget was for ongoing projects such as the construction of the chancery building and diplomatic apartments in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

She also said 32 per cent of the budget was for the turnkey project in Geneva, Switzerland that is the construction of office accommodation while the remaining funds would be for renovation and maintenance works to be carried out at different missions.

Dr Dow stated that as a ministry that advanced national interests at global stage, they embraced international responsibilities guided by core values of Botho, unity, self-reliance, democracy among others.

She said Botswana’s foreign policy agenda also took into consideration the complex and ever evolving global environment, adding that her ministry would continue to forge strategies that safeguard Botswana’s national interest and create opportunities for the development of a knowledge based economy, robust private sector, foreign direct investment and enhanced social development.

Furthermore, Dr Dow said her ministry played an instrumental role in advancing Botswana’s foreign policy objectives through facilitating high level engagements with strategic partners at bilateral, regional and multi-lateral levels.

The minister said the high level engagements contributed to Botswana’s development, indicating further that during the period under review, her ministry coordinated state visits for the President to Kenya and Qatar.

She said the outcomes of the visits were four Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signed with Qatar in areas of youth, sport, cultural cooperation, defence and political consultations.

She further added that the state visit to Kenya resulted in the signing of the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement and a MoU in the field of Information Communication and Technology.

Dr Dow also noted that in an effort to increase representation abroad, Botswana opened a diplomatic mission in Paris, France in February 2019.

She said the development would provide an opportunity for Botswana to increase diplomatic interaction with France, including direct engagement with organisations such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Additionally, she said economic diplomacy remained integral to Botswana’s foreign policy objectives of realising trade liberalization, attracting foreign direct investment and ultimately creating employment for Batswana.

One of the noteworthy developments, Dr Dow said was the implementation of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement signed between Botswana and Qatar in 2015.

She said ‘this development is a positive in the country’s resolute efforts to make Botswana an investment and tourism destination.’

Minister Dow noted that Botswana continued to support efforts aimed at strengthening the region’s peace and security architecture and its regional integration agenda aimed at realising sustainable development.

Similarly with continental relations, Dr Dow said Botswana not only support the collective vision that they subscribe to of integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, but also seek to promote Botswana’s influence in the continent. ENDS