Africa-Press – Botswana. The Citizenship Act of 2024 has not yet been enacted and is due to be reviewed, President Advocate Duma Boko has told Batswana living in Lesotho during a meet and greet session on Wednesday..
He said the contention with the law was that it should allow for multiple citizenships, contrary to the current status quo, where it allowed only dual citizenship.
President Boko said Parliament would in due course discuss the Citizenship Act in its entirety to correct some of the clauses and definition of dual citizenship.
Regarding work and residence permits, he said every country was bound to recoil inwardly especially that when economies faced challenges, they tended to blame all the problems on foreigners.
President Boko apprised Batswana living in Lesotho about the agenda for the new administration, the status of the De Beers diamond deal and challenges, government’s commitment to connect with citizens in the diaspora and building a more inclusive Botswana.
To this end, he said it was critical to reposition Botswana’s economy amid global challenges, particularly the slowdown in diamond sales that had been the mainstay of the economy.
President Boko emphasised the importance of diversifying the economy with renewed urgency, rebuild and remodel all institutions, most of which had failed.
He said it was critical to remodel with agility, the private sector-led growth, infrastructure development and robust policy frameworks to unlock new opportunities.
The President informed them that the economy had collapsed with cash flow problems and that the country was broke.
“Our resources are challenged. We are forced to diversify under pressure of calamity. But we cannot do it tomorrow or day after tomorrow, it will take time. It is not easy, but we do what we can,” he said.
President Boko said some decisions would be regarded as unpopular and that government had started trimming down some activities and kept the most essential going.
Regarding dilapidated infrastructure, he said most government buildings were crumbling because there were no plans for cyclic maintenance.
“All schools across the country are falling apart, with clinics, hospitals having no equipment and medication,” he charged.
Earlier, a representative of Batswana living in Lesotho, Ms Joy Norman, had appreciated the Citizenship Act of 2024 that allowed for dual citizenship, as a welcome development.
She called on government to engage the relevant authorities to streamline and expedite permit processing.
Ms Norman also expressed concerns about exorbitant fees for naturalising citizenship.
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