Old wage bill alarms ring again

With the government wage bill projected to surge to P38 billion in the next financial year, global fiscal watchdogs have resounded old alarms, repeating their concerns over the sustainability of public spending.

Botswana’s wage bill stands at least 13% of GDP, higher than that of any country in the Southern African region, underscoring the bloated size of the public sector. Budget figures show that government plans to spend P89.1 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year, with P36.6 billion going to wages and salaries, crowding out fiscal space and steadily suffocating funding for development priorities.