11 November 2026
Gaborone — Legislators have expressed mixed reactions towards President Advocate Duma Boko’s November 9th State of the Nation Address (SONA). Leader of the Opposition Dumelang Saleshando said promises made during the previous address remained unfulfilled.
He said as was the case in the previous address, the President had made promises to address challenges facing the country, particularly in the health sector, but little had changed.
He recalled that during the previous public health emergency, President Boko had promised to address shortages of medicines in public health facilities, but the situation remained unresolved. He also said the President did not update the nation on his previous promise to make public services accessible online, saying Batswana continue to queue for essential services such as national identity cards, passports and driving licences, despite the promise of digital access.
Saleshando further said citizens still face economic hardships arising from unemployment and underemployment, while questions remain unanswered about the P4,000 minimum wage. He also said the UDC government had promised a constitutional review but had yet to shift its focus to the Constitutional Court.
Meanwhile, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Keoagile Atamelang, believes the speech signalled stability in the country’s economic trajectory. Atamelang said his key takeaway from the address is that the country is experiencing stability in its economic trajectory following a turbulent period. He noted that the President had outlined the government’s economic recovery roadmap and plans to diversify the economy.
From his ministry’s perspective, Atamelang said one of the key issues highlighted was the maintenance of A1 roads, which had been a longstanding concern. He also cited the Trans-Kalahari Railway project, which had been under discussion for a considerable period. He said the project’s feasibility study had been completed and efforts were now focused on identifying a developer.
Atamelang said the railway project would create employment opportunities for citizens during the construction and operational phases. He also highlighted the introduction of TANA Metro buses as one of the ministry’s new initiatives, saying the service would ease commuters’ movement within the city. He said the electric buses would modernise public transport while promoting environmentally friendly mobility. He added that their successful rollout would help restore public confidence in public transport, which is currently characterised by inefficiencies. Atamelang said the projects outlined in the SONA demonstrated that the country is moving in the right direction.
For his part, Thamaga/Kumakwane MP Palelo Motaosane said although the address touched on several issues, his key takeaway is Botswana’s increased stake in De Beers. He welcomed the planned hike from 15% to 30%, expressing hope that the diamond market would recover to the benefit of the country’s economy.
However, Motaosane said the President had not adequately addressed bread-and-butter issues, including the reduction in government assistance for hectarage under the agricultural support programme. He said he had expected the President to outline how farmers would be supported going forward, further noting that the address did not explain how hundreds of graduates would be assisted to secure employment and access economic opportunities.
Source: BOPA
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