14 Feb 2024

Chobe MP, Mr Machana Shamukuni has pleaded with local contractors in all sectors to demonstrate patriotism in their delivery of service.

Debating the 2024/2025 budget proposal, Mr Shamukuni said the workforce should be mindful of the fact that government had set priorities for the  2024/2025 financial year derived from the country’s Vision 2036 which were aligned to the sustainable development goals.

He said a key concern remained lack of implementation, which called for the workforce to ensure that the implementation of projects was top priority.

He said policy and project implementers had to stay committed to the course of moving the country forward in order for the budget to produce tangible results and stay relevant to the current economic needs.

He added that it was disappointing that funds were at times reverted back to government coffers during financial year endings due to lack of project implementation.

“The country’s workforce should be patriotic and be mindful that they are the driving force behind the country’s economic growth, as low level of productivity is of less importance to the country regardless of the amount of funds allocated to the development budget,” he said.

The development budget, he said, was the economic growth driver and should provide opportunities for employment creation. He said the lack of capacity to deliver projects needed a critical review as government aimed to implement the monitoring and evaluation framework.

He said the country had not only become a beacon of peace, but made remarkable achievements in improving its infrastructure and citizenry.

“Botswana’s investment climate today is characterised by a stable macro-economic and democratic political system which the entire citizenry must be proud of,” he said.

He also noted that government was a signatory to several declarations on human rights and sustainable development, adding that civil society in the country was growing both in stature and service delivery to the community they served. He encouraged the public to be patriotic of their nation and to appreciate the development strides that the country had made since independence.

Contributing to the debate, Jwaneng/Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato  Reatile  dismissed the budget proposal, saying it did not address the needs of ordinary citizens.

Mr Reatile said it was disappointing that the budget proposal was termed to be stimulus and yet it did not state how it would stimulate growth and  address high employment rates facing Batswana.

The MP  pleaded with government to invest in infrastructure development, arguing that investments in infrastructure could lead to direct and indirect jobs and had spillover effects into other economic activities.

He said there should be investments in a good transport system and agro-logistics services to help move products from farms to markets where value could be added. ENDS