The UDC government has begun rolling out its newborn allowance programme, providing eligible low-income households with children under one year old a monthly payment of P300, plus arrears from the programme's start date of April 1, 2026, according to the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
The UDC government has begun rolling out its newborn allowance programme, providing eligible low-income households with children under one year old a monthly payment of P300, plus arrears from the programme's start date of April 1, 2026, according to the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
The Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs will upgrade Sese, a village with a population of 7119, from Headman of Records status to Chief Representative during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year, though the minister cited budgetary constraints for the delay.
The Gaborone City Council received its full government grant allocation of P389.7 million for 2025-2026, bringing total available funds to P533 million, of which P498.9 million was spent on services. The Council approved a 2026-2027 recurrent budget of P814.2 million, comprising P513.3 million in grants and P300.9 million in own-source revenue.
The government will closely monitor the new P300 Child Support Grant to ensure it is spent on its intended use. The Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs has warned mothers and primary caregivers that the grant must be used exclusively for its designated purpose.
Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has begun enforcement action, subpoenaing current and former officials over infrastructure projects with governance issues and cost overruns, and has referred the Gabane Infrastructure Project to the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime. The committee is investigating patterns of poor project preparation and weak contract management documented in Auditor General reports.
The Parliamentary Accounts Committee referred the Gabane project to the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime after the project's final cost reached approximately P285 million, a significant escalation from its original contract sum of approximately P214 million. The project involved construction of stormwater drainage infrastructure, 21.2 kilometres of bitumen-standard roads and 4.5 kilometres of street lighting under the Economic Stimulus Programme.
Botswana's Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs has deployed 1,050 Ikageng Workers to support foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control activities across villages in Ramotswa, Good Hope, and Tsabong districts. The workers will assist in establishing a containment zone to isolate affected areas and protect the country's livestock industry and international trade status.
The Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs has instructed District Councils in Foot and Mouth Disease affected areas to assess and register farming communities and livestock-dependent households impacted by the outbreak. The exercise aims to establish the scale of impact and build a database to guide government decisions on relief and support interventions.
Lobatse MP Kamal Jacobs says government priority projects for economic resuscitation and employment creation are progressing on schedule, citing the Milk Valley Farm expansion programme (expecting 200 cows from Brazil by June 2026), BMC and tannery upgrades, and meat value-addition facilities as examples advancing domestic production and reducing import reliance.
The reconstruction of the Francistown-Nata (A3) Road is 45 per cent complete despite recent weather-related challenges, with 200 kilometres divided into strategic sections and over 1,000 local residents employed. The project includes a dual carriageway from Francistown Toyota to past Mathangwane, with asphalt laying expected to reach substantial completion by late June or early July.
The government has postponed the rollout of the Child Support Grant from April 2026 to June 2026, citing ongoing administrative processes and system readiness activities.