05 Nov 2026

Chairperson of the Botswana Social Protection Programme Task Team, Dr Oupa Tsheko, who is also Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, has highlighted the country’s wealth inequality.

Addressing Francistown leadership and stakeholders after a tour of some projects on Monday, Dr Tsheko said many employees were living in debt, making it difficult for them to afford comfortable daily lives.

He also said there was land inequality, which he said deprived many people of opportunities to own productive assets.

He observed that a significant portion of the population occupied unproductive land, a situation that contributed to poverty and inequality.

He said government could not achieve meaningful progress without addressing land inequality and ensuring that people had access to productive assets.

Dr Tsheko further revealed that Botswana had 38 social protection programmes, most of which required reforms to improve their effectiveness.

He explained that the programmes were not sufficiently tailored to the needs and circumstances of individual regions, saying the intention was to make them responsive to local conditions and available resources.

He called for a strategic shift towards localised livelihood initiatives, urging communities to utilise resources available in their respective areas to address persistent unemployment.

Dr Tsheko said a one-size-fits-all approach was no longer viable, given the varying socio-economic conditions across districts, which required tailored development strategies.

 

Despite Botswana allocating approximately 4.4 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to social protection and safety nets, a significant investment by regional standards, he noted that economic growth had not translated into adequate job creation.

Unemployment remained high, particularly among young people, highlighting a gap between government spending and social outcomes, he said.

During his visit, Dr Tsheko toured three projects in Francistown, including a water bottling project in White City, a magazine project run by young people behind Galo Mall and a project owned by five Ward Development Committees in Francistown West.

The five wards jointly constructed a shop, which is currently leased to Choppies Supermarket, generating rental income.

Meanwhile, stakeholders proposed that Francistown capitalised on its strategic geographical location to become a major transport and logistics hub.

They said it could stimulate regional economic growth, create sustainable employment opportunities and improve residents’ livelihoods.

The Task Team’s visit forms part of broader efforts to reform the national social protection system into a more efficient and results-oriented framework that promotes self-reliance and long-term economic stability. ENDS