Botswana to suspend 70 projects under development manager model

Botswana [Gaborone], December 8: Botswana's new government will suspend 70 projects under the development manager (DM) model out of 148, for review and establishing efficacy in terms of construction costs.
Botswana's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Noah Salakae announced Friday during a parliament meeting in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, that the government has decided to review the DM model as an infrastructure delivery concept, as well as DM-related projects and their implementation.
"Seventy projects will be suspended, while 78 projects will not be suspended due to possible far-reaching legal and financial implications associated with destabilization," said Salakae.
The review comes after Botswanan President Duma Boko indicated that Botswana loses billions of pula -- the local currency of Botswana -- due to poor management and corruption and highlighted that the model may have resulted in inflated construction costs of projects.
The DM model, which was launched in 2023 by the former government, is a construction, procurement, and engineering model used to implement projects, such as roads, schools, hospitals, and government houses. Initially, the model was said to ensure that projects would be completed within a stipulated time to prevent unnecessary additional costs to the government.
According to the DM model, the professional development manager executes the entire project, from inception to completion, including preliminary investigations, project design, management and supervision. Application of the model, however, might have resulted in inflated project construction costs and as a result, would be reviewed to ensure fiscal sustainability and value chain redistribution, said Salakae.
He stated that the government will appoint a special task team to undertake the review scheduled to last for 40 days, after which a report with findings and recommendations will be presented to the ministry for action.
Source: Xinhua News Agency