Mohwasa points to delivery at Midterm, but flagship promises remain incomplete

Nearly two years after taking office on a mandate for sweeping change, Botswana’s government presented a detailed accounting of its record on Monday, claiming substantial progress in expanding social protection, settling inherited debts and overhauling the legal framework governing the state – while acknowledging that several of its most prominent promises remain unfulfilled.

Moeti Mohwasa, the Minister of State President, Defence and Security, told a press conference that the administration had moved from manifesto commitments to “funded action” and from funded action to “measurable benefit,” pointing to more than 2.05 billion pula (about $151 million) paid in old-age pensions in a single financial year, a new child support grant reaching thousands of families and the settlement of billions in government supplier arrears.

But the minister also struck a note of restraint that is unusual in midterm political reporting, openly identifying the gaps between what was promised and what has been delivered. The old-age pension, a flagship commitment, stands at 1,400 pula per month – 400 pula short of the pledged 1,800. The tertiary student allowance, another marquee pledge, is 2,200 pula per month, not the 2,500 pula the government campaigned on. And a program providing free sanitary pads to female learners, while operational nationally, has been hampered by supply interruptions.

“A five-year mandate should not be declared complete after two years,” Mohwasa said. “The proper test at this stage is whether the country has moved from manifesto commitment to funded action, and from funded action to measurable benefit.”

The briefing amounted to the most comprehensive public reckoning yet of a government that came to power promising an economy that works for more people, restored dignity in public services and reformed state institutions; all against a backdrop of difficult fiscal conditions inherited from the previous administration.

Social protection moves from promise to payment

The clearest evidence of change, the government argued, is found in the number of citizens who have received a direct, tangible benefit.

In August alone, 154,243 eligible citizens received the revised old-age pension of 1,400 pula, with 216 million pula paid in that single month. Over the 2025/26 financial year, total payments reached 2.05 billion pula. The government said the original commitment of 1,800 pula remains, but that fiscal constraints have so far limited the increase.

A new child support grant of 300 pula per month for eligible children during their first year of life began payments in August, including arrears dating to April. By mid-August, 11.5 million pula had been paid to 7,727 beneficiaries – a new social protection instrument introduced under the current administration.

For young people, the government introduced free sanitary pads for eligible female learners in public schools in June 2025. By the time of the briefing, 321,992 packs had been distributed across all ten education regions, reaching 80,498 registered girls, at a cost of 2.62 million pula. But the minister acknowledged that supply interruptions had affected subsequent distribution cycles, a shortfall he said required “stronger supply reliability and scale.”

Student allowances and public officer pay see significant increases

The government has moved decisively on education financing, if not all the way to its ultimate targets.

The monthly allowance for students in technical and vocational education institutions was increased from 300 to 1,900 pula – more than six times the previous amount. The off-campus living allowance for government-sponsored tertiary students was raised from approximately 1,920 to 2,200 pula per month, with corresponding adjustments for on-campus categories.

Between May and July, approximately 239 million pula was paid under the revised rates, benefiting more than 41,000 students in the peak month of May. The government said the full commitment of 2,500 pula per month would be achieved “progressively as the fiscal position permits.”

For public officers in the A to D salary bands – the lower and middle tiers of the civil service; housing and upkeep allowances were increased, channeling approximately 630 million pula in additional payments to some 88,000 employees between April 2025 and August 2026. The largest group, the C band, saw 44,759 employees receive 542 million pula; 307 million more than they would have under the previous arrangement.

Billions in inherited debts settled

When the government took office, it faced a mountain of unpaid bills. In November 2024, 5,227 supplier invoices valued at 1.7 billion pula were outstanding, alongside a 362 million pula balance owed to a single supplier. The combined 2.1 billion pula was reported as fully settled by the end of January 2025.

The payment system has since handled even larger volumes: in July, 31,523 supplier invoices totaling 6.91 billion pula were submitted and reported as fully paid by month-end. Between August 1 and 18, a further 731 million pula was paid across 17,530 transactions.

“Timely government payment sustains businesses, wages, working capital and economic activity,” Mohwasa said, framing the issue as far more than administrative bookkeeping.

The government has also made significant progress on a long-standing grievance: the pensions of members of the Botswana Defence Force. The N/375 BDF pension matter, involving 8,951 eligible members who transferred to the Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund since 2001, carries an actuarial liability of 4.1 billion pula, of which 2.7 billion has been disbursed. As of mid-August, 4,725 of 5,979 confirmed claims; 79 percent; had been paid. The government committed to paying all outstanding claims for living veterans by the end of September, and those involving deceased veterans by December, subject to estate processes.

A legislative barrage, but implementation is the test

The first two years have seen an aggressive legislative program. In the first parliamentary session, more than 25 bills and three policies were processed. In the second, from November 2025 to August 2026, more than 35 bills and seven policies were pushed through; including measures on industrial development, counterterrorism, financial intelligence, married persons’ property rights, national libraries and a national health insurance policy.

The most recent parliamentary meeting alone processed 13 bills and three policies, among them a syndicated loan authorization involving three major banks and an OPEC-funded governance and economic support program.

But Mohwasa was candid about what passage alone does not guarantee. “The next stage of accountability must therefore track not only passage of laws, but commencement, regulations, institutional implementation and measurable citizen or business outcomes,” he said.

Fiscal Buffers Rebuilt, but Not Restored

Perhaps the starkest illustration of the inheritance the government faced is the Government Investment Account, the country’s primary fiscal buffer. At the end of November 2024, it stood at approximately 1.97 billion pula. By December, it had cratered to roughly 250 million pula – a number that laid bare the severity of the liquidity crisis at the start of the new administration’s term.

Over the course of 2025 and into 2026, the account recovered. By November 2025, it had risen to approximately 2.91 billion pula. It closed July 2026 at approximately 5 billion pula; a material recovery, but one the government was careful not to overstate.

“The appropriate mid-term claim is that Government has begun rebuilding depleted fiscal buffers, not that fiscal restoration is complete,” the minister said. The same period, he noted, has required the government to finance expanded social protection, student support, public-service allowances, settlement of supplier obligations and other statutory responsibilities; all while operating in a constrained revenue environment.

Insourcing jobs and expanding languages

Two programs aimed at reshaping the public service were highlighted: a Leadership Transformation Programme intended to renew the leadership pipeline and create opportunities for younger public servants, and a Public Service Insourcing Programme that is converting outsourced support services – cleaning, gardening and security – into permanent government positions.

Of 4,909 eligible temporary employees identified in the first two phases, 4,366; 89 percent; have been absorbed into permanent positions: 2,611 in cleaning, 1,272 in security and 483 in gardening. A third phase has created 4,471 new positions previously serviced by private contractors, with recruitment now open to the public. The government said the shift would save approximately 100 million pula by bringing outsourced services in-house at a lower cost than the 404 million pula previously paid to private contractors.

In a move with more symbolic but no less significant weight, the government has introduced broadcasting in 10 indigenous languages – Shekgalagadi, Naro, Sheyeyi, Ikalanga, Afrikaans, Chikuhane/Sesubiya, Thimbukushu, Otjiherero, Sebirwa and Setswapong – and is developing a State Media Language Policy to govern their representation across television, radio, print and digital platforms.

“This is not simply about languages on air; it is about dignity, equality, cultural recognition and the human right to participate in the national life of our country,” Mohwasa said.

Presidential diplomacy, with a price tag attached

The government also defended the president’s international travel against public scrutiny, detailing the investment opportunities it said had been unlocked: a 500-megawatt solar plant in Maun valued at approximately 13 billion pula; a fuel plant investment of more than 6 billion pula; a 2.2 billion pula UAE credit line for medical supplies; and a convention centre in Gaborone worth approximately 26 billion pula.

Over the first two years, 27 million pula was spent on presidential travel against an approved budget of 40 million pula. “The issue, therefore, is not simply the cost of travel, but whether our international engagements are advancing Botswana’s interests and creating value for the country,” Mohwasa argued.

From outputs to outcomes

The minister closed with a framework for how the government should be judged in the remaining three years of its mandate; not by the number of bills passed or the amounts budgeted, but by whether laws change lives, money reaches its intended beneficiaries and programs produce reliable results.

He proposed a set of national outcome measures for the second half of the term: jobs created and sustained; household income and cost-of-living relief; access to quality health and education; the time taken to deliver core public services; private investment mobilized; supplier payment turnaround; implementation of legislation; and the sustained level of fiscal buffers.

“The number of bills passed matters only when the laws change lives,” Mohwasa said. “The amount budgeted matters only when it reaches the intended beneficiary. A program launched matters only when it is reliable, accessible and produces the result for which it was created.”

Two years in, the evidence points to a government that has begun converting its program into tangible delivery while confronting a difficult fiscal inheritance. The question now is whether the remaining three years can close the gap between what has been started and what was promised; and whether Batswana will feel the difference not just in budget lines, but in their daily lives.

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