Africa-Press – Botswana. Government has made strides in laying the foundation for the fundamental transformation of Botswana’s socio-economic and political landscape despite the shortage of public funds, Minister of Water and Human Settlement, Mr Onnetse Ramogapi has said.
Contributing to the ongoing debate on the State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA), Mr Ramogapi said that despite the heavy odds of having inherited an economy that was struggling with revenue income streams, government had made significant headway.
He said the government had reduced electricity and water tariffs by 30 per cent, increased the old age pension scheme by 68 per cent from P830 to P1,400, and raised the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) students’ living allowance from P300 to P, 900. “Furthermore, the government introduced a sovereign wealth fund, and is working on the establishment of a constitutional court, and in institutionalising a P4,000 living wage,” said Mr Ramogapi.
He said government had further improved the discharge of human rights governance in the country, citing the December 2024 burial of Mr Pitseng Gaoberekwe in his ancestral home, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve after a protracted battle between the state and the first peoples of the Kalahari, the Basarwa over burial access to their ancient home.
Mr Ramogapi said the introduction of national radio and television news broadcasts in minority languages such as Shekgalagari, Ikalanga, Shiyeyi, Chihukane/Sisubia, Naro and Afrikaans was an example of how government was committed to the cultural rights of all including minority communities.
He said the Botswana Economic Transformation Programme (BETP) had been established for the country to look at reshaping the economy from one heavily reliant on one commodity to one that was diversified where citizens enjoyed higher income levels.
The commencement of the construction of 100 000 housing units through the Bonno National Housing Programme and the introduction of the National Sanitary Pads Distribution Initiative, which rolls out free sanitary pads to primary and secondary school going girl children up to the age of 19, are other examples of the progress attained through the UDC government, Mr Ramogapi said.
He added that the industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis, agri-produce and agro-processing, the P200 million to be provided from the alcohol levy towards the procurement of artistic content from the domestic creative sector were examples of citizen empowerment and job creation initiatives being undertaken by the government.
Mr Ramogapi, who is also the Member of Parliament for Palapye said he was pleased that President Advocate Duma Boko announced that approximately P1.4 billion would be invested in the construction of a critical mining chemicals plant in his constituency.
The BTEP and the National Development Plan 12 presented solid plans to move the country forward, Nata/Gweta Member of Parliament and Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Lawrence Ookeditse, said when contributing to the debate.
He said the recently passed NDP 12 and BTEP provided a foundation and roadmap for taking the country forward, dismissing the notion that no plan had been presented by the government. Mr Ookeditse said the Leader of the Opposition had described President Advocate Duma Boko’s SONA speech as motivational, while in essence, nothing was happening.
On the contrary, is important for the President to motivate and communicate the clarity of the vision to the citizenry, Mr Ookeditse said, adding that Parliament had thus far considered over 33 legislations, which would change how things were done.
He said the government, for instance, was heading towards transforming the health sector despite current challenges of shortage of medicines and, in some cases, the need for maintenance of existing structures.
Regarding the national health insurance scheme, he said, it was a game-changer, adding that the government had also changed the procurement of drugs and medicines to address current inherent problems, therefore, accused opposition politicians of playing to the gallery.
Mr Ookeditse also said the country faced a challenge of a gap between the marginalised and unmarginalised tribes, which systematically excluded others.
Some tribes in the past were dispossessed of their land and livelihood, hence the need to reimagine a country that is plurinationalist, Mr Ookeditse said.
Currently, he said, resources were centralised, perpetuating the exclusion of disadvantaged groups.
To address this, Mr Ookeditse said that the constitutional review should take a position of recognising Botswana as a plural nation.
Tati West Legislator and Assistant Minister of Education, Mr Justin Hunyepa, said President Boko’s international trips had brought results in terms of partnerships, exchanges, and collaborations.
He said technology rollout, school digitisation, infrastructure development, and distribution of books were some of the results, adding that teachers would be empowered to deliver with confidence.
On agriculture, Mr Hunyepa said the sector was the backbone of the rural community’s livelihood, adding that there was notable progress in that department.
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