14 Dec 2021

Government remains committed to the delivery of National Vision 2036, which is operationalised through National Development Plans as the country aims to attain a high-income status by 2036.

Responding to the State-of-the-Nation Address, Vice President and Boteti West MP, Mr Slumber Tsogwane said the economic recovery and transformation plan was currently being rolled out to facilitate economic recovery efforts and to support the implementation of the remaining years of NDP 11.

Mr Tsogwane also reiterated government’s progress in transforming the economy amidst challenges posed by COVID-19.

Despite all the economic challenges, Mr Tsogwane said the country had embarked on a vision of transforming from an upper middle-income country to a high-income country by 2036.

He added that the vision was a clear ambition to charter a course driven by transformation and characterised by a knowledge-based and inclusive economy.

He said government had made a number of policy pronouncements, which were part of the development roadmap that sought to propel the country to greater heights.

He said Botswana, like countries all over the world, had been adversely affected by COVID-19 and that it had shone the spotlight on a range of existing socio-economic challenges that the country faced such as high unemployment and poverty.

The Vice President said COVID-19 called for a systematic and sustainable approach to curb the scourge, with particular focus on getting back on a recovery path towards a stable economy.

He said it was with that in mind that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi presented a Reset Agenda whose priority number one is to save Botswana‘s population from COVID-19 by implementing a series of life-saving measures that included a successful and timely vaccination programme.

Mr Tsogwane also noted that government was on track to achieve the vaccination target of 64 per cent of the eligible population by the end of 2021, a milestone he said would mark another achievement in the country’s effort to protect citizens against the pandemic.

Mr Tsogwane said government had also developed an economic recovery and transformation plan (ERTP) to support the restoration of economic activity and incomes as well as facilitate economic growth.

He said the plan would complement the short-term economic relief package that was already being implemented and accelerate economic transformation.

He noted that government was also committed to strengthening project management, monitoring and evaluation structures.

He admitted that the implementation of government programmes and projects continued to be a challenge with projects experiencing cost overruns, delayed completion and poor quality, citing the Nkange and Takatokwane roads.

Furthermore, Mr Tsogwane reiterated government’s commitment to deliver efficient services to citizens, saying this was evidenced by the development of infrastructure and the provision of qualified staff, which would all enhance the economic recovery plan.

Government, he said, had also made significant improvements towards addressing gender-based violence.

He noted the introduction Botswana Police Service toll-free number for reporting gender-based violence and the establishment of a gender and child protection unit in the police service.

He added that the establishment of 10 gender-based violence courts across the country was another milestone that illustrated government’s commitment towards fighting GBV.

He also applauded the First Lady, Ms Neo Masisi for working in close collaboration with the public and private sector as well as civil society to raise awareness about gender-based violence.

With regard to the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services, Mr Tsogwane highlighted that in order to bring control over the DIS wide ranging powers, Parliament, through the act, had established critical governance structures.

The structures, he said, were the Central Intelligence Committee, Intelligence and Security Council, Tribunal and the Intelligence and Security Parliamentary Committee.

The Vice President stated that the proposed constitutional review was a sensitive and delicate process that needed to be approached with open and calm minds.

The process, he said, would be transparently carried out through community consultations with the inclusivity of all community members.

Mr Tsogwane dismissed allegations by some opposition MPs discrediting government’s commitment on early childhood education development.

He affirmed that government continued to expand the provision of early childhood education in public schools and to improve learners’ readiness for primary schooling and life-long learning.

He said government was collaborating with international organisations such as UNICEF to ensure that all children regardless of gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background or circumstances realised their right to quality education.

Furthermore, the Boteti West MP expressed optimism that the Boteti Sub-council would, through the decentralisation process, be among the first to be upgraded to fully fledged councils.

He also called for the construction of the Rakops-Xhere road, saying it would enable the inclusion of Xhere residents into government’s development agenda.

He applauded the construction of the Makalamapedi, Matopi and Kidia clinics, which he said would be done through the Public Private Partnership model.

He also pleaded for the upgrading of the Rakops Clinic to a fully fledged hospital.

The Vice President condemned opposition MPs for focusing their debate on the State-of-the-Nation Address on what he termed character assassinating Botswana Democratic Party MPs rather than on issues of national interest. END