Job promises galore in UDC manifesto
Spira Tlhankane | Monday August 19, 2024 06:00
A recent Statistics Botswana’s Quarterly Multi-Topic Survey on Labour reveals a depressing scenario on unemployment in Botswana. Should the coalition win the General Election in October, the Duma Boko-led coalition says the plan is about “jobs, more jobs, higher paying jobs, sustainable jobs, and diversified jobs”. UDC led the way last weekend by becoming the first political party to launch its manifesto which is rich with promises of jobs and other commitments. UDC in its manifesto says its objective is to adopt a new economic strategy that diversifies the economy, grows it sustainably above 10% GDP per annum, produces quality goods and services, creates jobs and distributes wealth that empowers all citizens. “Botswana needs an economy with a capacity to sustainably employ and generate jobs, for an existing and increasingly youthful workforce of about one and half million people.
The desire is not just to create jobs, but to create high-paying job opportunities. Botswana also needs a diversified economy that is resilient in the face of increasingly unpredictable global economic conditions, as well as an economy that generates and distributes wealth to the majority of citizens,” reads part of the UDC’s manifesto. The UDC says the Botswana economy has for more than a decade now been experiencing a “jobless growth” phenomenon where there is no meaningful ‘net add’ to jobs even in episodes of any economic growth. According to the UDC, official figures suggest unemployment figures of 35% or more (for the youth) even though common sense points to a more alarming joblessness crisis. “The guinea coefficient is desperately skewed, dramatising an extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of the privileged few,” the manifesto stated.
As a result, the UDC has committed to creating 450, 000 to 500, 000 jobs within five years and building an economy that can sustain average salaries of P10, 000 or more. “We commit to jobs in our transformative infrastructure build (fast train, water distribution systems, power, agricultural infrastructure, housing, logistic networks, mega airport, smart city transportation etc). Jobs from an elevated status of the 'creative economy', inspired by stronger strategic management of local creative talent in indigenous arts, music, dances, paintings, design, productions, and media – and the use of modern technological platforms and Botswana Television as a strategic asset for the export and commercialisations of our arts and culture,” read the 40-page manifesto. The UDC, which is a coalition made up of the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Alliance for Progressives (AP), and the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), further promises to bring jobs from a fairer economic landscape and equal access to opportunity for each citizen regardless of family background or personal access to those in power.
The UDC says it will provide jobs from outcomes of their leadership ambition in food and meat products at a global scale and green jobs from their ambition to become a leader in solar and energy in general. “Jobs from the impact on SMEs from innovative funding and funding mechanisms through the establishment of sector funds. Jobs as a by-product of better-managed utility companies, and consequent lower power, water, and telecommunications tariffs. Jobs in our build of export-focused, non-mining, 'mega companies' with magnet effects towards creating new high productivity sub-sectors, or new industries and clusters. Jobs from the impact of our systematic research development programme towards developing, packaging, and branding indigenous foods, medicines, materials, inventions, and services in new age technology, data, and business process,” the UDC further promised.
The coalition also committed to jobs from a new culture of learning, and smart partnerships with global companies and nations that have demonstrated high-impact ingenuity. Jobs from an infrastructure-enabled, better coordinated, and significantly more diversified Botswana tourism product. “Jobs from the transformation of agriculture and agro-processing. Jobs from a new culture of execution, meritocracy, and fairness in the public service. Jobs from stronger strategic collaborations with Africa and exploitation of the Africa Free Trade Agreement,” it states. The UDC says it aims to protect jobs and promises that should it be elected, its government will not only focus on job creation but also on ways to address the crisis of jobless growth, job losses and retrenchments. The UDC also indicates that its government will not allow any retrenchments in the public sector (including in Public Enterprises) and will fill all the available vacancies within the first 12 months.
The tri-party coalition will commit to protect domestic industries under the relevant trade provisions and this will spur up domestic demand, which will increase job opportunities. The UDC’s manifesto comes at a time when unemployment has been on a quarter-on-quarter upward motion. The Q1 2024 results of the Quarterly Multi-Topic Survey estimated the total of currently unemployed persons at 287, 060. This was an increase of 11, 900 (4.3 percent) from the 275, 160 that was estimated for quarter three of 2023.