16 Mar 2026

Government officials, development partners and sector stakeholders have called for renewed urgency and stronger collaboration to improve sanitation services across Botswana, as the country seeks to close the gap between water supply and sanitation coverage. 

The Department of Water and Sanitation, director, Mr Stanley Semetsa, pointed out that while the country had made strong progress in water supply, sanitation services lagged behind and required focused attention. 

Mr Semetsa who was addressing a sanitation stakeholder forum in Gaborone, said Botswana’s water supply coverage had reached levels in the 90 per cent range, while sanitation access remained lower, with coverage estimated between 70 and 80 per cent. 

“We really need to take sanitation to another level, it is important that we look at the different roles and responsibilities as a department, as service providers and most importantly as stakeholders who work closely with communities,” he said. 

The forum, which brought together representatives from government ministries, researchers, service providers and development partners, sought to strengthen sanitation management and improve service delivery nationwide. 

Mr Semetsa noted that Botswana already had policy frameworks in place, including the National Policy on Sanitation and Wastewater developed in the early 2000s, but stressed that implementation now needed to accelerate. 

“It is time that we put those policies into action,” he said. 

He further pointed out that Botswana had made notable progress in sanitation access over the past decades, adding that more than four out of five citizens now had access to at least basic sanitation services, while urban areas had achieved approximately 99 per cent coverage.

However, he said challenges remained, particularly in rural and remote communities. Botswana’s unique geographic and environmental conditions present significant obstacles, including water scarcity, widely dispersed populations and settlements located far from service infrastructure. 

World Bank country representative, Mr Liang Wang, said Botswana’s sanitation systems were increasingly under pressure from urban population growth, climate stress, ageing infrastructure and operational challenges. 

“The sanitation system is under growing pressure. What matters most is how well these systems are managed, maintained and monitored,” he said. 

Mr Wang added that when sanitation systems function effectively, the benefits extended beyond hygiene and public health to include protection of water resources and broader economic development. 

He noted that the World Bank had partnered with Botswana’s water sector for nearly a decade, supporting projects and policy development in water and sanitation. The long-standing collaboration provides a strong foundation to accelerate sanitation progress in the country. 

The forum was held under the theme: Advancing Sanitation Management and Service Delivery for a Healthier Botswana, with participants expected to develop practical action plans aimed at expanding sanitation access, improving infrastructure management and strengthening coordination among stakeholders. BOPA