18 Feb 2025

Government should prioritise the tarring of Mohembo-Gudigwa road to unlock opportunities and connect constituents, Okavango East Member of Parliament, Mr Gabotsholwe Disho has said when commenting on the Budget Speech yesterday.

While he appreciated Minister of Finance for including the tarring of the road in the 2025/26 financial year, he said the road was not only meant to connect people and ease movement but would unlock an abundance of opportunities in minerals and tourism in the area.

Currently, he said the road was impassable after flooding, making it worse for the sick, expectant women or anyone with an emergency.

He further said Botswana had the potential to grow its economy, with its abundant natural resources to lure tourists as the country was blessed with vast land, natural resources, natural rivers, flora, fauna and minerals.

Also, he called on the ruling Umbrella for Democratic Change to focus on improving the collapsed education system, adding that blaming the past administration would not help nor bring solutions to challenges at hand. He appreciated that the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education was among those which were allotted a better share of the budget.

However, Mr Disho said the minister needed an assistant as she could not manage alone. He said education must be prioritised and given all the support.

Reflecting on the agricultural sector, Mr Disho said government must invest on its citizens to help them improve the horticulture sector and reduce the import bill in the process.

He also appealed for maintenance of the border fence along Botswana-Zambia border.

He further said it was important to improve accessibility of tourism destinations by graveling major roads passing through game reserves, national parks and other tourism facilities. He said as a result of the recent heavy rains, some tourists were stranded in tourism locations, as the roads were not passable. ENDS