The Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development in Botswana is implementing over US $111.3m worth of infrastructural projects which are at various stages of construction.
According to Minister Mmusi Kgafela, some of the projects include: Shakawe and Moshupa primary hospitals, Maun General Hospital, Letlhakane and Ghanzi senior secondary schools, Maitengwe police station and Scottish Livingstone Hospital maintenance. “Over and above ongoing projects, 19 others are at planning or pre-contract stage which has created an additional 129 jobs through engagement of consultants with a total consultancy fee of over US $37.8m,” he said.
Construction of US $14.8m abattoir in Tsabong, Botswana begins
Boosting the economy
Minister Kgafela said that infrastructure development and maintenance has been identified among the sectors that could contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); since it has the ability to boost local economies and create jobs.
He further added that, to that end, the ministry was promoting business models such as consortia and joint ventures between citizens and non-citizens as well as cooperatives among citizen-owned construction companies; the intention being to not only benefit from skills transfer, but to also avail space for a larger number of participants to directly benefit from the jobs created in projects.
“Past efforts to award maintenance contracts to citizen contractors would now be bolstered, through the increase in projects targeted for unbundling and the reservation of all maintenance works for citizens. This deliberate move would be testimony to the government’s Citizen Economic Drive,” said Minister Kgafela.
Moreover, the ministry would also advocate for an increase in the reservation of Category E works for citizen contractors and the review of thresholds for reservation of works for citizen owned consultants.
Minister Kgafela affirmed that the infrastructural projects were in line with both the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 and Botswana’s Vision 2036.
