New ministries, no new jobs
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday October 4, 2016 15:43
“There will be no jobs created. We’re just realigning ministries using the same workforce and emphasising on areas we need to prioritise in ministries,” he said.
This reiterates words by President Ian Khama who recently announced that there were no more job openings in government, Morupisi said.
The PSP would not come out clear on cost, only to say it would be cheap. He said they do not expect to spend any funds in re-branding of ministries, saying the branding exercise is a luxury. He said the Coat of Arms is there for all ministries to use rather than develop their own logos, which come at a huge cost, and the government does not have the means.
Some of the expenses one would expect include rebranding of ministerial vehicles, stamps, letterheads, stationary, buildings and advertising material amongst other things. There will also be need for educating the public on new ministerial portfolios.
Morupisi further stated that they would not be looking to getting any new building to house new ministries or departments. “Our ministries are housed in huge buildings. We do not need to occupy any new office space, they will share the buildings, and a few partitioning made where necessary.” Though he could not state the time frame, Morupisi said he is overlooking the transition process and is confident that all will go smoothly. “The expansion and re-designation of the ministerial portfolios is intended to ensure enhanced delivery and commitment by government of its key priority areas, being achievement of sustained economic development, diversification through citizen empowerment and accelerated job creation, especially among the youth, to ensure dignified livelihoods for all Batswana,” he said.
Explaining the renaming of the ministries, Morupisi said it is not necessarily about adding any new departments, but rather putting emphasis on priority areas. “For Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, we added governance to emphasise accountability amongst all stakeholders being government institutions, private sector, civil society, organisations and citizens,” he said.
On Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Morupisi said food security emphasises that as a nation we need to increase the production of food locally, reduce the food import bill, and create sustainable long-term productive employment in the sector.
On the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing Development, Morupisi said the ministry would be the custodian of government buildings and provide affordable housing for Batswana through already existing schemes.