Workers may shy away from strikes (part II)

Africa’s tendency to be war-prone and the absence of good governance in many countries, mean that Botswana has reason to maintain a strongly armed force just in case. Education lags behind in development and has to claim a large chunk of the budget. These are issues which make budgeting difficult.

There is no easy way for uniting the nation behind the national budget.  The emerging budget process reforms which embrace broader consultations should benefit the nation and the labour unions with the passage of time.

Our small population is spread over a large area.  Service delivery is unrealistically expensive if state institutions are stretched.  There is no easy solution to this because different ethnic groups want to remain where they are and they have that right.  Any budget item which takes more funds than is ideal for our small population leaves much less for salaries.The government has made huge strides in improving human resource skills.  However the country still suffers from financial resource wastage because of a skills deficit, poor supervision, duplication, bureaucratic lapses and corruption.  We are not as bad as some of our neighbours but there can be no denying that the country could do more for its citizens with the current level of GDP.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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