11 Dec 2022

The Second Transitional National Development Plan April 2023- March 2025 will usher programmes and projects earmarked as a direct response to national challenges.

In his contribution to debate of chapters, one to five of the draft plan in Parliament on Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Lemogang Kwape said the country made significant strides in the socioeconomic scope but continued to grapple with challenges that required quick planning.

Dr Kwape said the plan came hot on the heels of the establishment of the National Planning Commission which he said would give an impetus to Botswana’s national development forecasting and prioritisation of policies and projects.

He said the plan would expedite development projects such as roads which were necessary to bring services such as health services.

He said it was important to upgrade health standards to tally with the required standards appealing for the establishment of  the envisaged Kanye Hospital as a special hospital for Non-Communicable Diseases which were on the rise.

Dr Kwape said it was important to refurbish health facilities to avoid taking patients abroad which was an expensive undertaking.

He applauded the completion of some mega water projects from the north of the country and urged for the maintenance of water distribution networks.

For his part, Bobirwa MP Mr Taolo Lucas asked the minister to tally the development budget required for the transitional development plan and the annual budget deficit.

He said the minister should lay out a clear plan on how P64 billion required for the development budget was to be utilised.

Mr Lucas said with the amount of money required, government would plunge into excessive lending and if the economy did not grow at the expected rate due to unforeseen circumstances that would spell doom for the nation. ENDS