16 Feb 2023

The public’s safety depends on law enforcement agencies and their ability to respond to situations quickly, effectively and accurately, MP for Okavango, Mr Kenny Kapinga has said.

It was against such backdrop that MP Kapinga emphasised the need to allocate adequate resources to law enforcement agencies in his contribution to the ongoing debate on the proposed budget for the 2023/2024 financial year on Tuesday.

He argued that the P3.1 billion proposed for the Botswana Police Service (BPS) for the next financial year was low, which was an increase of only P299 million from the previous year.

“The low budget allocation to law enforcement agencies is worrisome and this could jeopardise the safety of many households in the country and affect investor confidence,” he said.

The legislator also expressed disappointment with what he termed government’s misplaced priorities by allocating P144.8m to the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) as well as P607 million to the Directorate of Intelligent Service (DIS).

That, he said clearly indicated government’s lack of enthusiasm in empowering the DCEC, an organisation mandated to fight corruption in the country.

“How does one expect DCEC to be a flag bearer in the fight against corruption and successfully carry out its mandate under such a tight budget?” Mr Kapinga quizzed.

Conversely, Mr Kapinga applauded civil servants in remote areas, particularly in his constituency, for their patriotism in delivering services to the people as well as their commitment to moving the country forward in order to attain tangible results in uplifting the livelihoods of citizens.

For his part, MP for Tlokweng, also Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Mr Thulagano Segokgo commended government for its efforts to strengthen the digital ecosystem, precisely access to affordable Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Mr Segokgo said ICT had the potential to unlock opportunities across a spectrum of sectors, hence government’s continued efforts toward digital transition by accelerating connectivity nationwide.

“ICT aids our economy in many sectors, be it the financial services, healthcare sector and the communications space.

For individuals, organisations and businesses, we are able to be efficient, connected and empowered to do more, deliver more and create more,” Mr Segokgo said.

Francistown East MP, Mr Buti Billy said the P420 million proposed for the implementation of the business reforms would go a long way in ensuring business sector growth in Botswana through the creation of enabling environment that would attract Foreign Direct Investment.

MP Billy argued that government needed to focus more on creating sustainable value chain linkages between different stages in the beef production line.