Migration of P8bn special funds sparks bank liquidity fears

The Bank Of Botswana now houses all special funds
The Bank Of Botswana now houses all special funds

The Finance Ministry’s plan to move an estimated P8.2 billion in Special Fund balances to the Bank of Botswana (BoB) has sparked fears of a possible liquidity crunch in the commercial banking space reminiscent of the crisis that rocked the sector four years ago.

Early last month, Finance Minister, Kenneth Matambo announced that balances in the country’s 34 Special Funds would be transferred into the Government Remittance Account to be managed as part of the government cash balances held at the BoB.

The move is part of a slew of interventions designed to clean up suspected corruption, abuse and general mis-governance of government’s Special Funds, a decision triggered by the criminal case involving the disappearance of P230 million from the National Petroleum Fund.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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