05 Aug 2026

The Green Book an administrative manual intended to provide consolidated guidance on the extension of privileges and benefits to some selected public office holders is being reviewed.

Answering a question in parliament on Monday, the Assistant Minister for State President and Security, Ms Maipelo Mophuting-Dikoloti said the latest version was revised in August 2014 but printed and circulated for use starting in September 2014.

The Green book, according to the assistant minister covered the President the President, Vice President, Speaker, Ministers, Deputy Speaker, Assistant Ministers and the Leader of Opposition.  She said it also covered former presidents, assistant ministers and former leader of the opposition and where relevant their spouses.

The assistant minister said those who were covered in the Green Book were also in a position to refer to its contents for appreciation of how they were to be facilitated.

Ms Mophuting-Dikoloti said that the Green Book existed in countries such as United Kingdom and might have inspired introduction of the same in Botswana, modelled differently to serve different purposes.    The assistant minister was responding to a question from the MP of Okavango East, Mr Gabatsholwe Disho who had asked the minister what governed the conditions of service, benefits and privileges of the President and other public office holders.

He wanted to know if it was developed specifically for Botswana’s post-independence governance framework or was substantially based on colonial administration policies inherited at independence.

Mr Disho also wanted to know whether government has undertaken any comprehensive review of the Green Book since independence to ensure that it reflected Botswana’s current economic realities, constitutional values and principles of good governance and if not, whether there were plans to review and modernise the Green Book, if so, when. ENDS