Mmegi

IMF throws its two cents into savings debate

Offering advice: The IMF recommends the establishment of a full sovereign wealth fund in the country PIC: EASTASIAFORUM.COM
Offering advice: The IMF recommends the establishment of a full sovereign wealth fund in the country PIC: EASTASIAFORUM.COM

The IMF recommends that Botswana transform the Pula Fund into a sovereign wealth fund that would be funded by a set commitment to budget surpluses and used to boost the country’s weakening savings. MBONGENI MGUNI reports

Researchers at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently published a 20-page report detailing the urgency and benefits of transforming the Pula Fund into a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and weighing the various ways government could do this.

Through various scenarios and comparison with best-case SWFs in Norway and Chile, the researchers estimated that maintaining an overall budget surplus of about one percent of Gross Domestic Product over the medium term and channelling this to an SWF, would be sufficient to create a credible insurance buffer against shocks.

Editor's Comment
A promising step for public schools, but...

For too long, the state of many public schools has been a source of shame. We have all seen the pictures and heard the stories of broken windows, unreliable water and electricity, topped by classrooms that are not fit for proper learning. The establishment of the Education Infrastructure and Management Company Ltd (EIMC) signals that authorities are finally ready to take this problem seriously. We must commend the government for this initiative....

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