31 Aug 2020

 In order to assist in reviving the economy, government will pursue high income projects for the remainder of the  National Development Plan (NDP) 11.

Delivering the Economy and Employment Thematic Chapter of NDP 11 Mid-Term Review to the National Assembly recently, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Ms Peggy Serame said government was looking to prioritise projects that were likely to have high returns and avoid unnecessary spending.

She said  the P14.5 billion due to be spent on the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan (ETRP), over P10.5 would be spent on the Economy and Employment sector for the remaining years of NDP 11.

Ms Serame stressed that the budget allocation would avoid wasteful and inefficient spending, but rather focus on projects that could yield higher results.

“The overriding principle for the Economy and Employment Chapter is to promote an export-led economy, which will be supported by investing in the necessary infrastructure, developing human capital, developing a vibrant agricultural sector, investing in the creative industry and growing a safe, sound and inclusive financial services sector,” Ms Serame said.

She revealed that some of the projects in the agricultural cluster included up scaling local production to ensure food security; as well as providing infrastructure in one of the dams to attract horticultural farmers and livestock feed producers.

“In the tourism cluster, initiatives include promotion of local tourism, use of unexploited sites to grow tourism, agro-tourism and bringing a strategic equity partner to invest in the management of Air Botswana,” Ms Serame said.

On the other hand, the creative industry will focus on activities such as event management, creation of cultural villages or hubs, and the local film industry as well as ensuring that local television and radio content is predominantly local, Ms Serame disclosed.

She further told Parliament that for the manufacturing sector, the instituting of food processing activities to support the agricultural sector as well as the development of local supply chains were some of the projects that were planned to be undertaken during the rest of the NDP 11 period.

With the environment impact assessment (EIA) process having been determined to be one of the impediments that delay the ease of conducting business, Ms Serame said that an EIA Law would be proposed to the current sitting of Parliament.

She further said  that skills development priority areas during NDP 11 would include engineering, manufacturing, construction, infrastructure development, health and wellness, science, business and administration.

Ms Serame said undergraduate student enrollment in these areas had already increased during the first period of NDP 11. Ends