04 Jul 2023

A new fit-for-purpose double storey building for the Financial Intelligence Agency worth over P140m will soon change the skyline of Gaborone.

The facility will compose of two identical double story buildings, with basement parking, a guard house, a generator house and a boundary wall.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony for the facility recently, deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Ms Halakawa Mbulai said money laundering and corruption were a menace to the livelihood of citizens and that they required robust institutions with adequate resources to tackle the vice.

She said construction of the building was a consequence of the ever evolving technologies, which also aided the undesirables such as money launders and corrupt people.

She said the building would facilitate the agency to discharge its statutory mandate with due diligence as issues of financial intelligence required a secure working environment.

She urged all stakeholders in the project to diligently discharge their obligations and ensure that the building was completed within time, budget and the desired quality.

Ms Mbulai said funding for the double storey building included P6m for contingencies and provisional sums, P25m for electrical works and P9m was the mechanical component of the project.

She also highlighted that in line with the Citizen Economic Empowerment (CEE) policy, the contractor, Colic Construction Development, had sub contracted 23 per cent of the works amounting to P20m to a citizen contractor.

Gaborone city mayor, Mr Austin Abraham said the building was an addition to the ever growing city infrastructure, which were intended to improve service delivery while simultaneously enhancing the face of the city.

He said the project was expected to be completed in 18 months and expressed hope that it would offer job opportunities to Gaborone and sarrounding residents. ends