28 Feb 2024

Government is undertaking a comprehensive exercise to review portfolios of ministries and their mandates.

The Ministry for State President will provide leadership and coordination of both the formulation of strategies and the implementation of policies and programmes.

Presenting the Ministry for State President 2024/2025 budget proposal on Monday, Minister Kabo Morwaeng said the review of ministerial portfolios was done with the aim of attaining sustainable development and prosperity for all.

“The national transformation strategy (NTS) with the theme: Innovating for Economic Growth 2023 -2030, has been approved,” said Mr Morwaeng, adding that as articulated in Vision 2036, the primary obligation of government was to guarantee the prosperity of all Batswana.

He said achieving the mandate demanded the formulation and execution of effective strategies to foster an environment conducive to national prosperity.

To effectively coordinate the endeavour, Minister Morwaeng said Botswana had intentionally embarked on crafting a national transformation strategy to operationalise Vision 2036. “The document serves as a single point of reference, offering a framework for the development of sectoral and industry-specific strategies,” he said.

Mr Morwaeng said the transformation strategy would inform national planning, policy development as well as the delivery of programmes and projects.

He said the first phase of the strategy was developed following a wide range of consultations and collaborative efforts with stakeholders in government, civil society and the private sector.

He said the strategy would also serve as a framework for National Development Plan 12 (NDP 12) with the second phase of the strategy planned from 2031 to 2036.

Mr Morwaeng said it was important to note that the strategy prioritised some sectors to ignite transformation and achieve economic growth. He listed them as tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, transport and logistics, sports and creative industries, mining, trade and finance as well as real estate and business services.

To further streamline the people centred approach, Minister Morwaeng said the national population policy of 2010 was being reviewed with a view to respond to the 2030 Agenda,

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union Agenda 2063 as well as Vision 2036. He added that the review of the policy as well as the transformation strategy would inform and guide the preparation of NDP 12.

He said as demand for government delivery continued to grow, 2 586 positions costing P486.6 million were considered to be created from existing allocated ceilings as well as a rationalisation of vacancies across the public service.

Minister Morwaeng said the positions were to facilitate the process of aligning government’s machinery to the presidential agenda in order to ensure that the national transformation agenda would be embodied in the public service of the day.

“This has come with significant government reforms in all public institutions as government has just completed the rationalisation of ministries/departments and agencies (MDAs) portfolios and mandates thus the approved structures are being implemented,” he said.

He highlighted that the move had necessitated the creation of 33 district commissioner positions. ENDS