Boko’s English breakfast, newborn allowance postponed
Spira Tlhankane | Monday November 3, 2025 06:00
These include the P300 newborn babies allowance and the home-grown school feeding programme popularly known as President Duma Boko’s ‘English breakfast’. According to the Minister of Local Governance and Traditional Affairs, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, the newborn babies allowance will be introduced from the 2026-2027 financial year, while the much hyped English breakfast will be implemented under the proposed National Development Plan (NDP 12).
Legislators are currently debating the draft NDP12 until November 7, 2025, and the latter is charting a trajectory of Botswana’s development for the next five years and beyond.
“One of the government's key mandates is to safeguard the welfare and rights of every child in Botswana, from conception through to the completion of basic education. In pursuit of this commitment, the government is in the process of introducing a monthly allowance of P300 from the 2026/2027 financial year, for all citizens with newborn babies, from birth until the child reaches twelve months of age.
“This initiative seeks to ease the financial burden on parents and caregivers during the critical first year of a child’s life, ensuring that no child is deprived of essential needs due to economic hardship,” Motshegwa told Members of Parliament (MPs) this week in the house.
Delivering the 2025-26 budget speech in February this year, Vice President and Finance Minister Ndaba Gaolathe had announced that their government had decided to introduce the newborn babies’ allowance.
Although the old age pension, commonly known as Tandabala, was increased from P830 to P1,400 on April 1, 2025, the government has, for a long time, failed to clarify when the newborn babies allowance will be implemented.
This initiative sought to ease the financial burden on parents and ensure infants receive proper nutrition and care during their crucial early months.
Another promise which has been on the UDC government’s plans for some time is the supplementary feeding programme.
President Boko touted the ‘English breakfast' programme on the campaign trail last year before he was elected the 6th President of the country after the historic 2024 General Election.
The President of the ruling coalition even reiterated the promise earlier this year as he pledged a wave of optimism and sweeping reform.
“During the implementation of the NDP12, the government will roll out the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme; this transformative initiative seeks to leverage the demand for school meals as a powerful catalyst for local economic development and agricultural transformation,” Motshegwa further told legislators as he presented the social protection sector.
“By prioritising the procurement of food from local farmers and producers, the programme aims to create employment opportunities, empower farming communities, and stimulate local value chains, thereby building stronger and more resilient communities.”
Motshegwa said through this intervention, school-going children will receive fresh, nutritious, and locally sourced meals, which will not only enhance their health and well-being but also instil a deeper sense of national pride and self-reliance in the country’s food systems.
“The successful implementation of this programme is closely linked to the readiness and capacity of our agricultural sector, particularly in areas of production planning, aggregation, storage, and distribution. It is therefore essential that our agricultural policies and support mechanisms are aligned to ensure consistent supply, quality assurance, and sustainability. In this regard, the government will continue to strengthen farmer support programmes, extension services, and market-access facilitation to ensure that local producers are prepared and positioned to meet the increasing demand generated by this initiative,” Motshegwa further indicated.
Although Boko has pointed out that he will be able to fully transform Botswana into a ‘land flowing with milk and honey’ in 2028, some feel that the government has been slow in leading them to the promised ‘Canaan’.
The government is now confronting a convergence of economic strain and political impatience that threatens the viability of its mandate.
As MPs deliberate on the draft, the one-year-old government is now expected to move swiftly from vision to execution.