04 Feb 2019

Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mr Kenneth Matambo has presented to Parliament a development budget proposal of over P17 billion for the 2019/20 financial year.   

Delivering the budget speech yesterday, Mr Matambo said the bulk of the P17.03 bn, P3.37 bn or 19.78 per cent, was earmarked for the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services to be used primarily for water supply improvement and management.

He noted that there were two major water projects under implementation being the North-South Carrier II from Palapye-Mmamashia-Gaborone as well as the various components of the Emergency Water Security and Efficiency Project funded through a loan from the World Bank.

“Specific components of the Emergency Water Security and Efficiency Project planned for implementation during the financial year include Selebi Phikwe–Serule water transfer scheme, Ghanzi Township water supply expansion, rehabilitation of the Mambo water treatment plant in Francistown and the de-sludging of the Lobatse water treatment ponds,” he said.

He said the proposed allocation for the ministry would also cover funding for the Clean Water and Sanitation Programme which included the Maun Water Sanitation Phase II, P400 million, Moshupa sanitation project, P80 million, Kanye sanitation project, P60 million and Molepolole sanitation project, P50 million.

Minister Matambo said the second largest share, amounting to P2.50 bn or 14.67 per cent, would go to the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security explaining that the allocation catered for the provision of various physical infrastructure such as offices and staff houses, communication equipment, vehicle and aircraft maintenance for Botswana Defence Force and Botswana Police Service.

He said the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Green Technology and Energy Security with the proposed allocation of P1.97 bn or 11.57 per cent took the third largest share.

The proposal, he said, catered for the ongoing north-west transmission grid connection, electrification of 111 villages under the Rural Electrification Project, transmission line from Morupule B to Isang sub-station, remedial works at Morupule B and transmission backbone for the southern part of Gaborone, Mochudi, Ramotswa and Tlokweng villages.

Further, the minister said an amount of P1.85 bn or 10.86 per cent was proposed for allocation to the Ministry of Transport and Communications to cover ongoing roads, bridges and ICT projects.  

Ongoing road projects included Rakhuna-Mabule, Mmankgodi-Jwaneng, Gaborone-Boatle Mulambakwena-Tshesebe and Dibete-Machaneng, he said.

Mr Matambo said the proposed budget would also finance projects which had been awarded as ‘design and build’, which included the construction of three intersections along the KT Motsete Drive as well as modernisation and centralised traffic control for the greater Gaborone area.

He said the provisions also included projects at tender stage being the Mogoditshane-Gabane-Mmankgodi and the Mmandunyane-Shashe Mooke-Chadibe-Mathangwane roads.

Other projects to be funded under the provision were the ongoing Kazungula and Mohembo bridges, he said adding that the budget would also finance the planned ICT projects such as government data network upgrading, national backbone networks, Government Data Centre and the local access network.  In addition, the minister said the fifth largest share of the proposed development budget of P1.77 bn or 10.39 per cent was proposed for allocation to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in order to continue implementation of social protection programmes and village infrastructure projects.

He said over two thirds of the ministry’s allocation, amounting to P635 million, would go towards the Ipelegeng Programme while community development projects would get P570 million.

The balance, he said, would fund ongoing programmes and projects, mainly the primary school backlog eradication programme, Tutume internal roads and bus rank, Gabane and Kang infrastructure development and the maintenance of primary school facilities.

Minister Matambo said the remaining balance of P5.46 bn or 32 per cent would be shared by other ministries and departments.   

He said major programmes and projects to be funded under the balance included ISPAAD with P564 million and LIMID, P100 million, staff houses and maintenance of secondary schools, P677 million, construction and upgrading of health facilities, P516 million, Poverty Eradication Programme, P185 million, housing schemes such as SHHA, P77.5 million, poverty alleviation scheme and destitute housing for low income groups with P97.6 million. Ends