Even though some Batswana complain that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has failed to deliver on its promises, President Masisi has spoken to the contrary on the matter.
According to him, the BDP has been able to deliver most of its promises despite the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2019 General Elections, the BDP promised Batswana that it would create jobs in the entire value chains of digital innovation, agriculture, mining, tourism, education, automotive, electronics, pharmaceuticals, solar and manufacturing industries.
During the current SONA, he stated that a large-scale citrus project in Selebi- Phikwe, which started in 2020 as a result of Foreign Direct Investment, has been able to create 1,000 jobs. He added that for the first time, Botswana is expected to generate export revenue from high-quality fruits to premium markets. Developments in the mining sector have to-date created employment of 19,230, which is an increase of 1,145 since 2021.
Still, on employment creation, he said during the 2021/2022 financial year, P80 million was disbursed through the Youth Development Fund to support youth entrepreneurship development. That resulted in the creation of 1,320 jobs for the youth.
Even if it is not enough, it is not disputable that the BDP had tried to create jobs for fewer Batswana. On the other hand, Statistics Botswana revealed an increase in unemployment at a rate of 5.4 percent from 226,598 to 238,731 as 20,000 jobs were lost during the pandemic. Companies were also forced to shut down some operations while others implemented the no-work-no-pay strategy.
Therefore, unemployment still remains a concern for Batswana. On the issue of corruption, the BDP has tried since key cases have been taken before courts. This has been one of their promises that they want to increase integrity and transparency in their governance system through the introduction of legislation on the declaration of assets, whistle blowers protection and strengthen administrative protocols.
BDP spokesperson Kagelelo Kentse said they have indeed created an environment where the media can achieve self-regulation without interference and also built close relations with the local media.
He said they had promised Batswana constitutional review which they had delivered and the President had promised them that it be made public. On the issue of improving education and training to create innovative systems in order to yield innovative young minds, Kentse said already training had begun and results are yet to be yielded.
Kentse maintained that the BDP had successfully delivered the majority of the things they promised Batswana in 2019. He added that the Reset Agenda will help in a lot of things. He said part of the Reset Agenda action, which is the formulation of the National Development Plan (NDP) 12 has been deferred to the financial year 2025/2026 on account of reforms in the planning processes. When briefing the nation during SONA, President said these reforms are meant to align national planning with the electoral cycle.
Therefore, this means that the party which wins the polls in 2024 will be able to set the developments according to its Manifesto. “The alignment of the government machinery, which is one of the cornerstones of the Reset Agenda, has begun. In this regard, Ministries have been reorganised and the rationalisation of some State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) is progressing well,” the President had said.
