16 Dec 2025

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) amounting to approximately P582 million loan will breathe life into the health sector.
This was the general observation by Members of Parliament as they rallied behind the loan facility presented to Parliament by Vice President and Minister of Finance, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe, on Wednesday.
The Palapye legislator, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi, supported the bill, Botswana Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience Project, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Loan Authorisation Bill, No. 34 of 2025, arguing that it would provide crucial funding aimed at bolstering the country’s emergency preparedness and response capabilities.
In the past, the country was caught unprepared for health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed its preparedness weaknesses, resulting in many deaths, Mr Ramogapi said, stressing the importance of preparing for health emergencies.
Maun East MP, Mr Goretetse Kekgonegile, said the loan facility was for strengthening the health sector across the country and bolstering preparedness, however, pointed out that health sector was besieged by crisis across the country.
He said the loan could be going towards addressing immediate health challenges on the ground that included shortages of medicines, improving health facilities, paying private facilities owned by the government, and paying owed employees, among others.
Thus, he opined that the government had its priorities wrong in the health sector.
He opposed to the bill presented under emergency certificates, since it is not about a life and death matter, but lack of planning, Mr Kekgonegile said.
Minister of Communication and Innovation, and Mahalapye West MP, Mr David Tshere, supported the bill, as it was intended to support and strengthen the health sector’s resilience. He said the country was in a dire financial situation, which had impacted the health sector, and the loan came with a grant facility for the sector as preparatory assistance.
Given the expensive nature of the health sector, Mr Tshere reckoned the loan would finance already planned programmes in the budget.
He said the loan preparedness facility was in line with the World Health Organisation, adding that recently, SADC countries launched one disease surveillance in the region, targeting pandemics.
In that regard, Mr Tshere thought it important for the country to be prepared for its own disease surveillance.
Minister of Environment and Tourism, and Francistown South MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi, saw the loan as being in the well-being of the community, and that the government was responding to the crisis faced by the country.
Health is in its nature an emergency, Mr Mmolotsi said and appreciated that not every country qualified for such dispensation.
 Since Botswana has set its borrowing limit at 40 per cent of the GDP, Mr Mmolotsi said all was in order because the country was within the set range at 33.05 per cent after after the disbursement of the new loan. ENDS