20 Mar 2014

Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Nonofho Molefhi has requested a total budget of P3.8 billion  for his ministry for the 2014/15 financial year.

Presenting the budget on Wednesday, March 18 in Parliament, Mr Molefhi said P2 billion  would be for the recurrent budget while P1 .8 billion would be for the development budget.

Mr Molefhi said the largest share of the recurrent budget, amounting to P586.7 million or 30 per cent of the budget would be allocated to the Central Transport Organisation  while Department of Roads would receive P553.1 million or 28 per cent of the budget.

He said the Department of Information Technology would get P409 million or 21 per cent of the recurrent budget while the balance of over P404 million would be shared amongst other ministry’s departments, such as Headquarters, Road Transport and Safety, Telecommunications and Postal Services.

Under the development budget, which has increased by two per cent from last year’s provision, Minister Molefhi said the money would be used for continuation of ongoing projects.

The largest share of the development budget which was P474.3 million or 26 per cent of the budget would be allocated to roads projects such as the Tonota-Francistown, Charles Hill-Ncojane, the Botswana Integrated Transport Project as well as Kazungula, Mohembo and Thamalakane bridges.

He said the second largest share of P403.5million representing 21.5 per cent of the development budget would go to the development of telecommunications programme, which include optic fibre reticulation of the local access networks for strategic areas in cities and main towns.

There would also be the upgrading of the backbone network of Sekoma-Werda-Tsabong-Struizendam microwave radio link and Sehithwa-Gumare-Mohembo-Seronga-Beetsha microwave radio link to optic fibre link, he added.

He said it also includes the provision of alternative back haul link to WACS by deployment of optic fibre along Maun-Ngoma link.

Mr Molefhi said P390.4million or 20.8 per cent of the development budget would be utilised under the Air Transport Infrastructure programme, which includes Terminal Buildings and Air Traffic Control Towers at Maun and Kasane airports.

There would also be procurement of equipment and systems upgrade to improve security and safety in the aviation sector as well as continuation of the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) terminal building, he said. ENDS