America's Good Hand
Staff Writer | Monday March 10, 2014 16:25
America's Good Hand
L
ast week the American Embassy issued a statement announcing that it is teaming up with our own Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) to develop best-value procurement practices and policies in Botswana.
This is expected to improve the Government of Botswana's capacity to make informed decisions that take into account all relevant costs over the entire life of a project - particularly large-scale infrastructure projects that have a widespread economic impact.
This approach will not only lead to smarter, longer-term investments with overall savings for the Government, but will also increase competition and deliver better development outcomes.
What imnmediately comes to mind is the current Morupule B problem, which has cost government well over P13 billion.
This intervention by the US Trade and Development Agency could not have come at a better time as optimism is high that a lot of money will be saved in future big projects that are similar to Morupule B.
This is not the only American initiative by the US Department of State this week. They are also hosting a regional workshop for SADC power pool countries to introduce new technologies for harvesting coal bed methane as potential fuel for electricity generation and industrial use.
The workshop which will be held in Botswana will boost business in sectors such as toursim and transport.
The USA Regional Unconventional Gas to Power workshop also comes at a time when Botswana and fellow southern African countries have not adequately exploited coal bed methane.
Citing the Kodibeleng Coal Bed Methane Project in Botswana as an example, this initiative although more than a decade old, has proved to be a disappointment to the expectant Batswana who are still waiting to celebrate the historic extraction of the first ever natural gas in the country.
Apparently the project has been experiencing technological challenges.
The new fuel extraction technology introduced by the Americans, would certainly be welcome to Botswana which could finally take advantage of the more than 200 billion tonnes of coal resources.
This is expected to improve the Government of Botswana's capacity to make informed decisions that take into account all relevant costs over the entire life of a project - particularly large-scale infrastructure projects that have a widespread economic impact.
This approach will not only lead to smarter, longer-term investments with overall savings for the Government, but will also increase competition and deliver better development outcomes. What imnmediately comes to mind is the current Morupule B problem, which has cost government well over P13 billion. This intervention by the US Trade and Development Agency could not have come at a better time as optimism is high that a lot of money will be saved in future big projects that are similar to Morupule B.This is not the only American initiative by the US Department of State this week. They are also hosting a regional workshop for SADC power pool countries to introduce new technologies for harvesting coal bed methane as potential fuel for electricity generation and industrial use.The workshop which will be held in Botswana will boost business in sectors such as toursim and transport.
The USA Regional Unconventional Gas to Power workshop also comes at a time when Botswana and fellow southern African countries have not adequately exploited coal bed methane. Citing the Kodibeleng Coal Bed Methane Project in Botswana as an example, this initiative although more than a decade old, has proved to be a disappointment to the expectant Batswana who are still waiting to celebrate the historic extraction of the first ever natural gas in the country.
Apparently the project has been experiencing technological challenges.The new fuel extraction technology introduced by the Americans, would certainly be welcome to Botswana which could finally take advantage of the more than 200 billion tonnes of coal resources.