14 Feb 2023

Botswana’s transition from the world’s poorest economies to now an upper middle-income country is evidence of prudent macro-economic management, strong governance and good institutions, Member of Parliament for Chobe, Mr Machana Shamukuni has said.

Debating the budget proposals for the 2023/2024 financial year in Parliament on Monday, Mr Shamukuni said it was impressive that government’s development budget had increased from P12 billion in 2015 to P21 billion in the 2023/2024 financial year.

“It is commendable that government development budget had increased by almost 75 per cent in my eight years as a legislator.

This is consistent with government’s aspiration and determination to transform to a high income country,” he said.

Mr Shamukuni said the development of good policy framework in Botswana had enabled the country to prudently manage the wealth from mining resources and other revenue streams, hence was confident that the country would leverage the strong foundation by continuing to uphold the highest standards of governance.

“The issue of good governance and transparency translates to government’s ability to grow the economy in a way that benefits all citizens, which the Botswana Democratic Party-led government has committed to, post the country’s independence to date,” he said.

The need for good governance, he said had become more urgent in recent times as the world faced multiple crises in the form of COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the ongoing challenges of climate change.

He added that the multiple crises had made it clear that countries that had strong economic institutions could respond more effectively to challenges and better prepare for a resilient recovery across any level of development.

“Botswana has, through good governance, already made significant progress in building the foundation for continued economic recovery, hence it is only fitting that the country emerged with one of the fastest recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic with an impressive GDP growth rate of 11.8 per cent in 2021,” he noted.

Mr Shamukuni was also pleased that the budget proposals for the 2023/2024 financial year reported some recovery on the Government Investment Account reaching P17.8 billion in October last year compared to P9.8 billion a year earlier.

He, however, cautioned of corrupt practices that he said could be an obstacle to economic growth, adding that corruption had a negative, direct impact on economic growth and development.

Contributing to the debate, Letlhakeng/Lephepe MP, Mr Liakat Kablay acknowledged the 2023/2024 budget proposals owing to its inclusivity for all Batswana.

Mr Kablay said he was happy that the  budget recognised the need for government to promote sustainable livelihoods and build resilience by ensuring that all members of the society had the opportunity to participate in the mainstream economic activities.

He was optimistic that the bulk of the development budget would be channeled toward rural area infrastructure development, particularly in his constituency, which he said remained among the poorest in the country. ENDS