05 May 2026

The National Forensic Audit Programme summary report has revealed that Botswana may have lost an estimated P33 billion to fraud, waste and financial mismanagement over the last decade.

 The findings therefore call for special investigations into a network of senior officials and private contractors. The report, covering April 2014 to March 2024, was presented by Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa yesterday. Conducted by Alvarez and Marsal (A&M) Middle East Limited, the audit scrutinised 30 government entities, including ministries, state-owned enterprises and regulatory bodies.

The investigation identified 814 instances of irregularity and 80 cases flagged for immediate criminal or disciplinary investigation.

Cases involve contracts and expenditures totalling P160 billion, resulting in a conservative P33 billion in potential damage.

“The P33 billion figure is a conservative and preliminary estimate of likely loss based on the matters reviewed,” Minister Mohwasa said.

The minister further explained that the figure included estimated overpricing, unsupported payments, suspected diversion, non-delivery, waste and other financial exposure. He warned that the financial impact was likely deeper than the numbers suggested.

“The indicative loss figure does not capture the full public cost of the matters identified,” he added. In some cases, he said the wider cost may extend beyond the contracts, payments or asset values reviewed, including disrupted public services, delayed infrastructure delivery, reduced reliability of supplies, additional costs of securing alternative supply and long-term contractual or operational exposure.

 The report also indicates that the rot is not confined to junior staff or isolated departments.

 The findings implicate more than 80 current and former senior government officials and over 150 contractors and suppliers, including both local and international entities.

The audit identified a consistent set of underlying conditions that enabled the findings, such as weak oversight mechanisms, ineffective control institutions, vulnerabilities in procurement processes and a weak culture of accountability.

“The recurrence of similar issues across multiple entities shows that structural reform is required,” he said.

To address these systemic failures, the report proposes comprehensive reforms in governance, institutional, procurement, financial and cultural areas.

Meanwhile, the 80 referrals are intended to enable formal investigation, asset tracing and recovery assessment, alongside potential criminal, civil or regulatory action. ENDS