30 Mar 2023

The Ministry of Transport and Public Works will intensify the roll-out programmes for skills development of technical staff and professionals to instill a culture of high performance. Responding to a question in Parliament recently, transport and public works minister, Mr Eric Molale said he was not satisfied with the current level of 55 per cent on registration of engineers in the ministry. Mr Molale noted that all engineers employed in the country and the public service were obliged to comply with the law and none of them were exempted from registering with Engineering Registration Botswana (ERB).

 “The total number of engineers currently employed under my ministry is 489. Out of these, 268 are registered with ERB, while 66 of them hold practicing certificates,” he said. He concurred that registration of engineers in the public service could help improve the culture of unethical conduct and reduce corruption perception in the development projects in the country. “Section 19 of the Engineers Registration Act criminalises carrying out of engineering work without a valid practicing certificated issued by ERB. The Act further provides for striking off of engineering professional who have not renewed their practicing certificated,” he added.

Further, the minister said in the committee of supply speech he presented recently, he had indicated that the ongoing review of legislation of regulatory bodies would allow for registration of all professional and quasi-professional and such review would tighten the requirement in the act of law.

Member of Parliament for Thamaga/Kumakwane, Mr Palelo Motaosane had asked the minister to state the number of engineers currently employed under the ministry and how many had registered with ERB as practicing professionals. Mr Motaosane also wanted to establish if the minister was pleased with the uptake of ERB registration by engineers and whether those employed in the public service were exempted from registering. ENDS