20 Mar 2025

Government is committed to sign an agreement amending the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Treaty, to transform the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a SADC Parliament.

Speaking during a courtesy call with the National Assembly Speaker, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse in Gaborone yesterday, President Advocate Duma Boko said Botswana would sign the agreement, to also ensure that the transformation of the SADC PF into regional parliament was achieved.

The agreement amending the SADC Treaty was adopted by the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government at a meeting held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo on August 17, 2022. Entered into force on July 11, 2024, the agreement establishes SADC Parliament as one of the institutions of SADC under Article 9 (1) of the SADC Treaty.

The SADC Parliament is expected to commence its operations after the entry into force of the Protocol on SADC Parliament after which the SADC Parliamentary Forum, which provides a platform for dialogue among parliaments from SADC member states on issues of regional interest and concern, will cease its operations.

Despite the current state of the country’s economy, President Boko said government was more than prepared to support Parliament come up with transformative reforms that would enable it to effectively and efficiently play its institutional role of checks and balances.

Government, he said would work with the speaker to ensure transformation of Parliament while also acknowledging that there was need for MPs to be more capacitated, so that they made laws from an informed position.

The overarching aim, the President said was to provide the requisite support, to ensure Parliament executed its mandate successfully, to fulfil its key representative and constitutional mandate of making laws and providing effective oversight to the executive.

For his part, Mr Keorapetse said for peace, order and good governance to prevail in the country there was need for Parliament to transform into an effective and efficient oversight of the executive and to perform its constitutional mandate of legislating.

The speaker said Parliament was faced with challenges that included capacity and resources to effectively discharge oversight duties. The current Parliament, he said consisted of 70 per cent new MPs, 36 per cent young parliamentarians and only six women MPs.

Additionally, the speaker said Parliament of Botswana belonged to various inter-parliamentary bodies, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which was a global organisation of national parliaments that promoted democratic governance, accountability and cooperation among its members.

The courtesy call was meant to provide an opportunity for the National Assembly speaker to freely and openly discuss and share innovative ways on how to work towards transforming Parliament, with the President. ENDS