Africa-Press – Botswana. The Draft National Decentralisation Policy aims to enhance governance in Botswana by transferring decision-making powers and resources to local governments, promoting inclusive and sustainable development, says Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Mr Ketlhalefile Motshegwa.
He said this during Kanye District full council meeting on the draft policy recently, which sought to establish a governance framework that aligned the responsibilities of central and local governments along with non-state actors to improve service delivery. Mr Motshegwa said the government was committed to decentralising resources and responsibilities to enable local councils to efficiently implement development projects.
“The policy’s primary goal was to foster equitable development and citizen participation in local governance, allowing for accountability in service delivery,” he said.
The minister said the specific objectives included empowering local governments, enhancing administrative capacities, and strengthening transparency/accountability in governance. In addition, he said the decentralisation approach intended to restructure local governance to improve efficiency in service delivery while giving citizens a stronger voice in public decisions.
While there existed local governance, Mr Motshegwa said current structures were under-utilised, with centralised decision-making limiting local effectiveness. He said concerns about chaos from decentralisation were addressed, affirming that national decisions would remain with central authorities while councils managed local matters.
Mr Motshegwa said decentralisation was seen as a means to meet societal demands for more responsive and sustainable local governance, citing that the policy acknowledges the potential challenges of implementation but emphasises existing political will and institutional readiness. He said input from local councillors was requested to refine and support the policy before it was finalised for parliamentary debate.
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