05 Nov 2025

As a means of curbing high unemployment rate, specifically among the youth, government is committed to introducing a 24 hour economy that is divided in eight hours shifts.

 Presenting the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs’ projects and programmes under National Development Plan 12 in Parliament on Tuesday, minister Major General Pius Mokgware indicated that the 24 hour economy would create job opportunities, allow for improved productivity, efficiency as well as health and safety in the work place.

“Botswana faces significant unemployment challenges which are worsened by the restricted working hours hence the need to introduce a 24 hours economy,” he said.

To mitigate the inconveniencing current hours of operation,  Maj. Gen. Mokgware noted that the ministry was exploring the transformation into 24 hours economy whereby hours of work were split into eight hours shifts aiming at keeping business operations, services and production going around the clock to boost competitiveness and job creation.

He said the ministry envisions leveraging digital platforms, logistics and extended night operations to tap into global time zones and new economic niches.

“Such a shift promises to get more people into jobs, increasing value chains and opening job opportunities thus reducing the dependency on traditional daytime operations only,” he said.

In support of this initiative, Minister Mokgware highlighted that the ministry would engage neighbouring countries to facilitate opening of some strategic boarders for 24 hours in a gradual and phased manner.

This, he said would also save huge amounts of money on overtimes and the exposure to the risk of working long hours that came with exhausting and less concentration of employees.

Maj. Gen. Mokgware therefore noted that National Productivity and Competitiveness Policy would be implemented to foster productive employment and job creation while mainstreaming productivity, competitiveness and work ethic across sectors.

He said the ministry would intensify training on work ethic and mindset change in workplaces across both the private and public sectors and enhance the national competitiveness landscape through multiple-stakeholder engagement.

He noted that a national drive on productivity and competitiveness would be carried out for both the public and private sectors and an institution of excellence would also be set up for the same course. To that effect,  he said the proposed ministry’s programmes and projects budget for NDP 12 was an estimated cost of over P1 billion.

Of that amount, the minister said P869.6 million was required for the ministry’s infrastructure development programme and its aim was primarily to complete the refurbishment of the ministry headquarters building, establishment of the Dobe boarder post and completion of the Mogoditshane community library.

He said a total of P167.5 million would be invested in the ministry’s computerised and ICT programme.

The main projects, he said included the development of electronic identification system(digital ID), automation of labour administration functions as well as computerisation of the records management system. ENDS