05 Feb 2024

A significant development budget of P17 billion has been proposed for investment in infrastructure development to address gaps that threaten efforts to enhance the quality of life.

Minister of Finance, Ms Peggy Serame noted when presenting 2024/25 Budget Proposals in Gaborone yesterday that some of the projects earmarked include Water, Transport, Energy, Information Communications Technology and land servicing.

She also noted that the National Spatial Plan (NSP) would be central to infrastructure development as an integral part and a foundation for NDP12.
Through the NSP, government will ensure that developments are promoted in places where they will deliver beneficial impact for all Batswana, she said.

In addition, minister Serame said government continued to connect villages to the national grid, hence the Village Electrification programme, which commenced in the 2022/2023 financial year would continue.
“Of the 16 new village connections, 10 have been completed and of the 80 village network extensions, 53 have been completed,” she said.

Ms Serame said the rest of the projects were scheduled to be completed by May 2024 and once completed, they would bring national electrification to 473 or 83.7 per cent of gazetted villages against the target of 565 villages.
The remaining 92 electrification projects will be implemented during the 2024/2025 financial year.

Ms Serame said government would in the 2024/2025 financial year, improve the standard of living for low income households by connecting them to electricity.

To this end, she said government had reviewed electricity connection fees for this category and would further provide readymade boxes for free to households that are yet to be wired.

Ms Serame said land servicing remained a key priority as an enabler to doing business and by extension facilitating the private sector to set up businesses, mentioning that major projects under this programme were land servicing to special economic zones, SPEDU industrial land, Kasane, Metsimotlhabe, Mmopane, Palapye and Ghanzi areas, to mention but a few.

As stated in the 2023 Budget Speech, Ms Serame said government would continue to leverage the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model to accelerate the implementation of projects and also address expenditure inefficiencies.

In giving progress made regarding projects being implemented through the PPP model, Ms Serame said three projects namely; Tshele Hills Petroleum Storage, Ikaegeng XTL (Coal to Liquids) and Reclamation and Treatment of Gaborone Waste water for potable use were at the procurement stage of engaging private sector developers.

She said it was expected that negotiation and signing of the contracts, as well as mobilisation of funding by the private partners, would be undertaken during the 2024/2025 financial year.
To the latter, Ms Serame said drafting of a stand-alone Bill on Public Private Partnership was at an advanced stage and was expected to be presented to Parliament before the end of this year.

The envisaged law will act as a legal framework for operations of the Public Private Partnership model, thereby instilling confidence for the private sector to participate in this space, she said. ends