IMF trims forecast for Botswana economy
Friday, April 21, 2023 | 450 Views |
At the helm: Finance Minister, Peggy Serame, expects the economy to expand by four percent this year PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
The forecast is contained in the latest edition of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook (WEO), which contains updates of the institution’s projections from the October edition.
The IMF’s latest forecast for Botswana in the 2023–2024 fiscal year is slightly above the average of 3.6 percent expected for sub-Saharan Africa and comfortably ahead of both the averages for SADC and the Southern African Customs Union. In the Southern Africa region, the IMF’s forecast for Botswana’s growth in 2023–2024 is the fourth highest after Mozambique, Mauritius, and Zambia. By comparison, South Africa is expected to grow by 0.1 percent, while other neighbours such as Namibia and Zimbabwe will expand by 2.8 percent and 2.5 percent respectively.
It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...