Public debt pile nears domestic limit
Friday, June 06, 2025 | 180 Views |
Fiscal headquarters: The Finance Ministry has difficult decisions to make going forward around spending and new revenue lines
Under its own statutory rules, government constrains its debt to 20% of GDP for domestic funding and 20% of GDP for external funding.
However, government, through the Bank of Botswana, has been on a flurry of debt raising activities in recent months, as the prolonged diamond downturn has eaten into public revenues, whilst commitments such as salaries and outstanding invoices have pressured the public purse.
Whilst we join Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) and other stakeholders in commending the rise in top grades, a testament to the unwavering effort of many teachers and pupils, this progress is fundamentally shadowed by a failing that shames our society. The stark, persistent urban-rural divide is not just a statistic, but an active betrayal of thousands of young Batswana.The figures are a damning indictment. When pass rates in...