20 Jul 2026

Despite the country's declining revenue, owing mainly to depressed diamond markets, President Advocate Duma Boko has reaffirmed government's commitment to transforming the economy from a public sector-led to a private sector-led economy. He said diversification of the national revenue away from dependence on diamonds was nigh. Addressing the Botswana National Front (BNF) 61st National Conference in Jwaneng on Sunday, he said to this end, the Umbrella for Democratic Change-led government had improved the national savings from P300 million in 2024, when they assumed office, to the current P6.1 billion. He said revamping the Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) to make its processes more efficient has resulted in a 5.4 per cent increase in collections which translated to P15.36 billion in the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year, while the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) revenue also increased by 7.9 per cent to make P480 million in the same period. For the month of May alone, remittances increased by 12.9 per cent, he said. He further noted that even though they were unpleasant, the cost containment measures put in place had resulted in a cumulative savings sum of P2.73 billion since August 2025. He said the government continued to deploy modernised debt management strategies while also working on growing the manufacturing sector to reduce the export bill. He said the target was to increase the sector's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the estimated six per cent to 15 per cent by 2030. Additionally, President Boko noted that plans were underway to enhance the agricultural sector through various initiatives in an endeavour to improve food security. "We are expanding agriculture and agro-processing, because a nation must feed itself before it can call itself secure. The first of 200 dairy cattle that will revitalise the Lobatse Milk Valley have arrived while Letsema Horticulture market will go live in August 2026,"he noted. He said in an effort to close revenue gaps, the government was committed to strengthening laws against corruption and economic crime, as well as carrying out investigations emanating from the forensic audit. He noted that closing these gaps would not only enable the economic transformation drive and enhance the developmental agenda, but would also enhance transparency and accountability in public institutions. President Boko dispelled reports that no further action was taken following the forensic audit. "Many people conflate the forensic audit with a criminal investigation, but the forensic audit identifies, near accurately, where the problems are, what the problems are and who the problems may be. Now we must follow criminal investigations that follow the trail, that get into bank accounts, that trace assets, that invoke the proceeds of instruments of crime, to freeze and cease assets so that they are returned to the people," he explained. On health care, he said while piloting of the National Health Insurance was expected to commence in the last quarter of this financial year, the recent approval to employ 300 more nurses would go along in enhancing service delivery in the health sector. He also noted an improvement of medicine supply, with a seven-months supply of critical medicines received this month and more expected. He said the theme of the conference: The Torch We Carried, The Nation We Must Build, was a call for the BNF as a member of the UDC coalition to reflect on the current state of the country, which was a turning point and a test on the country's resilience amidst the ailing economy. He underscored the need for all stakeholders, including the private sector to play a role in this economic revival, with confidence that the status quo was temporal. He urged the youth to be innovative and tap on the opportunities that they could use to contribute toward the economic transformation. "Do not wait for government to hand you a future, continue believing and reaching for it. We will meet you with policy, with capital and with opportunity, but the reaching must be proudly yours,"he said.ENDS