28 Feb 2024

The Ministry for State President has requested over P2.7 billion in recurrent budget and over P1.5 billion development budget for the 2024/2025 financial  year.

Presenting the budget proposal before Parliament, Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng said the proposed recurrent budget represented an increase of over P425 million or 18.41 per cent increase over the previous year’s allocation.

He attributed the increase to, among other things, termination allowances which amounted to P400 million and requested under the Directorate of Public Service Management (DPSM). He said it represented an increase of P50 million over last year’s provision.

Mr Morwaeng said over P16.4 million was required for temporary assistance under the Department of Broadcasting Services (DBS) to cater for freelancers and temporary staff in order to increase coverage of news collection while P16.5 million was to cater for payment of utilities at the Mass Media Complex as well as for 58 transmitter stations countrywide.

He said P6.4 million was earmarked for payment of royalties to the Collecting Society of Botswana (COSBOTS) which was then disbursed to artists for the use of their productions in both radio and television.

Additionally, Minister Morwaeng noted that P3 million would cater for the hosting of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) summit to be held in Botswana in May 2024. He said Botswana was expected to host the event by virtue of having held the presidency of AUB from 2018 to 2022.

“The AUB is a professional body composed of radio and television organisations of African states that are committed to the development of all aspects of broadcasting in Africa. The union provides a technical platform that strengthens professional relations between member organisations,” he said.

He said the African Union of Broadcasting nursed the hope that union activities would help open up countries and all of Africa to the entire world through extensive training and capacity building programmes for journalists and technical artists working everyday for the development of media organisations.

Under the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Mr Morwaeng said P10.5 million would be for both special and general investigations as well as for anti-money laundering activities.

He said P46.6 million would be for the replacement of the ministry’s vehicles while the remaining balance of P286.9 million would be for various items including the additional funding for non-government rehabilitation centres, replacement of old ICT equipment, facilitation of the 2024 general elections as well as to cater for inflationary adjustments and salary increments.

With regard to the development budget, Mr Morwaeng said the 2024/2025  budget proposal experienced an increase of over P549 million, which was 36 per cent of the 2023/2024 revised allocation of over P972.6 million.

He said the development budget requested would cover the ministry’s consultancies, refurbishment of state guest houses, refurbishment of Orapa house, refurbishment of district administration offices and Office of the President office accommodation as well as improvements to broadcasting services.

Mr Morwaeng said the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DISS) had requested P799.8 million to implement various development projects during the 2024/25 financial year.

The projects, he said, included geospatial, security and communication related projects, procurement of vehicles, acquisition of equipment and new installations to strengthen security interventions.  ENDS