http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/12 Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:06:32 GMT 2026-06-20T12:06:32Z http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/176 Mitigating Performance Limitations Faced by Parliament's Budgetary Oversight Committees in Botswana Marata, Pearl Keneilwe Parliaments are an integral part of democracy, enhancing the quality of governance through the various functions bestowed upon them such as legislation, oversight, representation, and constituency service. Parliaments make use of committees to deliver on some of these functions. The parliament of Botswana, as other parliaments elsewhere, has at its disposal committees that help it to effectively perform its budgetary oversight functions. While this paper acknowledges the various functions of parliament, it, however, limits itself to parliament’s oversight function, especially, as it pertains to the budget. The Parliament of Botswana is empowered to undertake approval and audit functions in the budget cycle. Parliament performs these functions through two committees; namely: 1, the Finance and Estimates Committee (FEC); and 2, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Parliament is, however, often criticised for unsatisfactory performance of its budgetary oversight function. While various explanations have been advanced for the perceived ineffective performance of Parliament, this paper posits that Parliament’s perceived ineffective performance of budgetary oversight is inherent within some of the provisions and powers given to the budgetary oversight committees. Using qualitative data collected through key informant interviews and desk research, this paper highlights some of the inherent challenges and limitations leading to unsatisfactory performance. The paper further presents some recommendations for averting the identified limitations and challenges to enable parliamentary committees to ably execute their roles and responsibilities to eventuate better and improved budgetary oversight. The series comprises of papers which reflect work in progress or limited research efforts, which may be of interest to researchers and policy makers, or of a public education character. Working papers may already have been published elsewhere or may appear in other publications. Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/176 2025-11-01T00:00:00Z http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/173 Child Sexual Abuse in Botswana Samboma, Thabile A. ABSTRACT Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in Botswana, is a big social problem with proven lifelong effects on the victims. Botswana has established various child protection institutions (CPI) and amended children’s protection laws in order to ensure that, children are safe from all harm. However, despite this development, CSA cases in Botswana are still on the rise. This study is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of child protection institutions in Botswana. A case study method was used in Old Naledi, and Letlhakeng where interview with 21 participants were conducted. Findings of the study revealed that there is;(i) the absence of a national child strategy; (ii) poor coordination of child protection institutions (iii) weak child legislation framework (iv) lack of capacity (v) inadequately financed child protection (vi) lack of systematic data collection (vii) lack of evidence base research; (viii) decline of family structure and (iv) lack of public awareness. All these combined, have been found to be a hindrance to the effectiveness of child protection institutions in Botswana. The study recommends as follows; there is need to review Children’s Act of 2009, there is need to develop national child protection strategy, strengthen coordination of CPI, increase allocation of resources, create a centralised database on CSA and strengthen evidence base research on CSA in Botswana. The series comprises of papers which reflect work in progress or limited research efforts, which may be of interest to researchers and policy makers, or of a public education character. Working papers may already have been published elsewhere or may appear in other publications. Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/173 2022-11-01T00:00:00Z http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/156 Whistleblowing in Botswana's Construction Industry Omotoye, Marumo The construction industry (CI) is considered one of the most corrupt both internationally and regionally. Therefore, this study examined the views and attitudes of professionals in Botswana’s CI towards the role whistleblowing (or protected disclosure) can play in curbing corruption in the sector. A convergent mixed methods approach was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders from the construction industry. Furthermore, a self-administered survey was utilised to collect quantitative data from 117 construction firms. Data revealed that there was little awareness of whistleblowing legislation. Fear of retaliation or punishment and job loss, and a lack of education on whistleblowing were identified as some of the most substantial barriers to effective whistleblowing in the industry. From a public policy perspective, it is recommended that an emphasis be placed on improving levels of education and awareness on whistleblowing in the construction sector. In addition, there should be consideration to amend the Whistleblowing Act 2016 to include construction industry regulators, the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board, and private media amongst the list of institutions authorised to receive reports of impropriety in order to extend the scope of legal protection to whistleblowers in the sector. Recommendations for further research are provided. The series comprises of papers which reflect work in progress or limited research efforts, which may be of interest to researchers and policy makers, or of a public education character. Working papers may already have been published elsewhere or may appear in other publications. Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/156 2020-03-01T00:00:00Z http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/153 Challenges of Project Implementation in Local Government: The Case of Francistown City Council and Kweneng District Council Samboma, Thabile A. Botswana is faced with many challenges of project implementation. Since independence detailed projects and programmes were initiated, with limited and often less developed state capacity to implement them. This study focuses on challenges of project implementation in Botswana’s tier of local government. A qualitative case research method approach was employed to undertake the study. Telephonic interviews were conducted with politicians and employees from Francistown City Council (FCC) and Kweneng District Council (KDC) and data was analysed using thematic analysis. The paper outlines project implementation challenges in Local Authorities (LA). For instance, lack of capacity, lack of commitment by the District Development Committee (DDC), poor stakeholder engagement and lack of financial autonomy by councils. Some of the identified implementation challenges are not peculiar to the two LAs but cuts across local authorities in Botswana. However, low human capacity in local authorities was cited as a major problem in project implementation. Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://knowledge.bidpa.bw:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/153 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z