Urgently announce a vaccine rollout plan. Set strict timelines for delivery. This is critical to curb the increasing death toll and to attract the confidence of tourists.
Set up a task force that will enable our country to conduct its own research on human viruses and manufacture our own vaccines that we will export. We manufacture and export cattle vaccines, same can be done for humans.
Address the problem of corruption. Make the DCEC truly independent and insulate it against political interference. Have transparent process of appointing Director General and protect their term of office.
Set up a commission of inquiry on corruption in the public sector and forbid public servants’ participation in government tenders.
Protect the credibility of Bank of Botswana against political mischief. False allegations that portrayed the central bank as a reckless custodian of the public purse should never have been condoned. There was never any P 100 billion stolen from the Bank of Botswana. Political battles were allowed to taint the image of the central bank.
Abandon all politically motivated cases and spare the nation unnecessary legal fees and risk being sued for malicious prosecution.
Insist on meritorious appointments to all SOE and government offices. Land boards are an example of worsening partisan appointments.
Convene a National Jobs Pitso to prevent a jobs bloodbath at the end of the State of Public Emergency. Offer tax relief to employers who can commit to ambitious employment targets. The tax relief will be conditional on the jobs target.
Launch a Presidential jobs tour to companies that have high job targets to remove the barriers they face through the intervention of the highest office in the land.
Transform Ipelegeng to get value for money. Labour intensive public works program still not being implemented. Millions of pula are being lost through a scheme that does not add and economic value.
Youth entrepreneurs fund to be set up and help expand youth businesses that have potential for greater employment creation and export. Offer loans free of interest with a repayment holiday. Young artists must also be targeted for growth.
CEDA to identify top performing clients and offer additional capitalization for growth in their profitable sectors. There is no need to wait for them to approach CEDA, we need to be pro-active.
Change the Young Farmers Fund to Passionate Farmers Fund to assist small and part time farmers to graduate into commercial farming. Part time farmers in full employment should be targeted for early retirement.
Apply value for money principle across all of government. Office of the President to desist from expensive populist stunts such as the costly Ram donation by the President
Suspend the 42-million-pula refurbishment of OP.
Energise the public sector by absorbing the interns and TSP who have performed well into full time positions. Double pronged strategy of attracting young talent and incentivising the older generation into early retirement should be pursued. This should increase uptake of technology and productivity.
Commit to non-renewal of State of Public Emergency as Business Botswana finds it investor unfriendly. A year long state of public emergency is unjustifiable.
DIS and other security sectors be subjected to Value for money assessment. Air Assets should be assessed against other competing national priorities, particularly job creation.
BHC to freeze rentals. BDP pledged rentals that are 20% or more below market rental. Some tenants are now told that their rentals will increase by over 100%.
Commit to a time bound industrialization plan for job creation. Where is the leather park? How soon can we deliver the coal to liquid project?
Enter the space for artificial diamonds. De Beers should commit to a plant in Botswana. They have committed over 100 million to their synthetic diamonds’ development.
Address the issue of all leakages in government project development as well as tourism. To have 37% of funds earmarked for infrastructure development going to waist is unjustifiable.
Make Citizen Economic participation a 50% non-negotiable condition for all government projects.
Search for the new diamond that is labour intensive. Let’s have a level headed discussion around Industrial Hemp. Developed and developing countries are amending their laws to allow for the farming of hemp.
There are over 100 Hemp products and they include the following;
Butter
Energy drinks
Medicine (immune deficiency diseases)
Textiles
Cutlery
Beauty products
Hemp seed for vegetarian dishes
Cooking Oil
Hemp tea
