Opposition MPs demand poverty eradication programme evaluation report
Zolani Kraai | Wednesday December 13, 2017 17:42
This followed a recent question in Parliament regarding the matter asked by Member of Parliament for Selebi-Phikwe West, Dithapelo Keorapetse. In response, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Eric Molale informed legislators that Poverty Eradication Programme (PEP) has never been evaluated.
Molale however, stated that government engaged Statistics Botswana (SB) to conduct Multi-Topic Household (MTH) survey which will provide indicators of PEP implementation in Botswana.
He said the survey started in November 2015 and was completed in October 2016. Molale also said SB is currently analysing the data to provide poverty indicator, out of which the results of the survey are expected before the end of the financial year.
In seeking clarification on the minister’s written response, Keorapetse pointed out that he expected the minister to inform the house if ever PEP was evaluated since its inception. MP for Gaborone Central, Phenyo Butale also questioned the delay by Molale’s ministry for considering conducting an evaluation in the mid-term implementation of the programme, rather than wait to engage SB to conduct MTH survey. Butale further said, based on the amount of money injected into the programme it would have been important then, to conduct an evaluation of the programme.
The poverty eradication progamme has since its inception cost government over P836 million, covering packages for beneficiaries as well as administrative functions and logistics, Molale has said.
Member of Parliament for Gaborone North, Hasking Nkaigwa also weighed in on Butale’s statement saying the minister should have briefly told Parliament that no evaluation was ever done, rather than engaging Parliament to a product that is yet to be finalised as when SB determines to complete it. This publication has however learnt from a former member of the Poverty Eradication Coordinating Unit (PECU), that a rapid assessment was conducted during the finacial year 2013/2014, in various districts. He said it was aimed at assessing the impact the programme has made in some districts where it was rolled out.
While he was still assistant Minister in the Office of President, Phillip Makgalemele toured the country explaining the challenges the programme was facing. He shared that government was working around the clock to address the issue of backlog in the implementation of the programme.
Some beneficiaries complained of delays in assessing them while others decried delays in delivery of equipment and materials for their projects. A study conducted by the World Bank and Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) released in March 2014, identified weaknesses in Botswana’s social protection programmes.
It stated then, that it can be corrected over the next few years and by 2016 Botswana could emerge with a modern, effective and efficient social protection system capable of eliminating absolute poverty.