28 May 2025

National Transformation Strategy is set to be a game changer in revitalising the economy, President Advocate Duma Boko has said.

Addressing a kgotla meeting in Tlokweng yesterday, the President said the strategy, to be unveiled in October 2025, would provide a framework for changing the outlook of Botswana. The strategy that would be executed through National Development Plans would contain government strategies, programmes and projects. He said the strategy would also provide framework for measurable deliverables and close monitoring of government projects and that Batswana would be afforded the opportunity to trace progress of the projects on a dashboard that would be in public domain. President Boko also told Tlokweng residents that government was developing a framework for resuscitating rural economies by supporting some agricultural activities.

On other issues, he assured residents that government would continue to deliver promises made to Batswana during election campaigns. To this end, he said following increase of old age pension to P1400, the Village Development Committee members’ allowances would soon be increased to P2500. Equally, he said the Ipelegeng programme was being improved to be public works programme and that its allowance would also be increased to P2 500.

President Boko said there were plans to improve the Tlokweng border post services adding that the recent talks with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa included extending operation hours to 24 hours. Batlokwa were also promised that government was striving to reform some state owned enterprises that would also turn around the economy. Those are Air Botswana, Botswana Meat Commission, Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board and Botswana Railways. He said the reforms would include improving services that would afford Batswana travel through Air Botswana and decongestion of roads by long haulage trucks through utilising train.

“All these parastatals should start to show improvement within a short period of time,”’ he said.

Kgosi Puso of Batlokwa has saluted President Boko for visiting Tlokweng. Welcoming the President, he said Batlokwa expected a lot from the President as he was accustomed to Tlokweng by virtue of being a resident in Masetlheng Ward. He said Batlokwa were aware of the economic hardships, but expected him to wave the storm. He said Tlokweng as a peri urban village faced several challenges due to its proximity to Gaborone. Among those, he said, was land scarcity, increased demand for land, infrastructure challenges that had recently been exacerbated by recent floods across the country.

Kgosi Puso said due to a high number of people in Tlokweng, there were challenges of inadequate infrastructure especially storm water drainage systems. He also called for a senior secondary school and another primary school to be built in the village. Area Member of Parliament, Mr Phenyo Segokgo said Batlokwa expected the President to solve the long impending land issues in Tlokweng.

He said Batlokwa were at a disadvantage of being a peri urban village, hence there was no grazing land for their livestock. He told the President about ambitions to benefit from the proximity of Tlokweng border Post through some economic activities such as factory shells and some industrial parks that could create employment opportunities. ENDS