A frank-talk ‘shootout’ at the BoB
Friday, March 06, 2026 | 260 Views |
Economic arsenal: The Bank of Botswana is government’s primary economic advisor PIC: BANK OF BOTSWANA
“I have a demand governor, and (BoB) board chair and a demand is a non-negotiable requirement. “From yourselves, what we need is unbiased and straightforward, objective financial and economic advice without any fear or favour. “We are going to have to implement those painful adjustments, painful decisions.”
Finance Ministry permanent secretary, Tshokologo Kganetsano, set the ball rolling last week at the Bank of Botswana Monetary Policy Statement launch. The annual event where the central bank traditionally unveils the direction it will lean towards in terms of interest rates for the year, is frequently dominated by discussions on trending economic challenges and solutions.
While the minister is of the view that the proposal would have significant positive economic impact, the entertainment industry players believe otherwise. The issue has over the weeks become a hot potato. But what is of essence right now is that the country needs liberal ideas to move in the right direction While opening up the economy may sound quite interesting to the ear, rolling out extended trading hours through pilot programmes without...