Gaborone – At the halfway mark of its five-year mandate, government has presented a mid-term report to Parliament outlining progress on social protection, education support, public service reforms and fiscal recovery, while acknowledging unfinished commitments and persistent challenges.

The report notes that since 2024, government has expanded direct support to households, including raising the Old Age Pension to P1,400 per month, introducing a Child Support Grant of P300 for infants, and rolling out free sanitary pads to female learners. In August 2026 alone, 154,243 pensioners received payments amounting to P216 million, while 7,727 children benefited from the new grant.

Education support has also been strengthened. Technical and vocational students saw allowances rise from P300 to P1,900, while tertiary students’ off-campus living allowance increased to P2,200. Between May and July 2026, over P239 million was disbursed to more than 41,000 students monthly.

Public officers in salary bands A to D received increased housing and upkeep allowances, injecting P630 million into household incomes. Government also settled inherited supplier debts of P2.1 billion and paid 79 per cent of long-standing Botswana Defence Force pension claims, with full settlement expected by year-end.

On the legislative front, more than 60 Bills and 10 policies have been processed across two sessions, including reforms in industrial development, financial intelligence, property law, and national health insurance. The report stresses that the next phase must focus on implementation and measurable outcomes.

Fiscal resilience remains a challenge. The Government Investment Account, which fell to P250 million in December 2024, has since recovered to P5 billion by July 2026. Officials caution, however, that buffers remain volatile and incomplete.

New programmes include the Leadership Transformation Programme to renew public service leadership, the Public Service Insourcing Programme, which has absorbed nearly 4,400 temporary workers into permanent posts, and the Indigenous Languages Programme, expanding state broadcasting into 10 languages.

Internationally, presidential diplomacy has secured investment pledges, including a P13 billion solar plant in Maun, a P6 billion fuel facility at Tshele Hills, and a P26 billion convention centre in Gaborone.

The report concludes that while significant delivery has been achieved under difficult fiscal conditions, key promises remain outstanding — including raising pensions to P1,800, tertiary allowances to P2,500, and stabilising supply chains for sanitary pads. “The central task is clear: consolidate what has begun, correct what is not working, accelerate what is behind schedule and measure success increasingly by outcomes rather than activity,” the report states.